Written Answers Nos. 146-165
147. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will provide details of the commitment by Ireland to fund the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22954/20]
View answerIreland is a longstanding supporter of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), which provides essential services to 5.6 million registered Palestine refugees, 1.4 million of whom are in Gaza.
In the context of the challenge posed by the COVID 19 pandemic, UNRWA's work in providing vital services including education, healthcare and humanitarian relief is more important than ever. Ireland recognises that the pandemic and its associated economic and social impacts magnifies the vulnerabilities of the refugee population, whilst also threatening the broader stability of the region.
To date in 2020, Ireland has disbursed €6 million in funding to UNRWA, comprising €5 million in core funding to UNRWA’s Programme Budget, of which €1 million was earmarked for use in Lebanon, and a further €1 million in support of UNRWA’s Syria Regional Crisis Emergency Appeal. In addition to these amounts, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD, pledged a further €1 million to the UNRWA Programme Budget at an extraordinary virtual Pledging Conference in June which will be disbursed shortly. Overall, this will bring Ireland’s contribution to UNRWA in 2020 to €7 million and €33.5 million in the five years since 2016.
As well as financial support, Ireland plays an active role within the Advisory Commission of UNRWA. Ireland's Representative Office in Ramallah engages with the agency on an ongoing basis, while the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Simon Coveney TD, has met UNRWA representatives and observed its work at first hand when visiting the region.
Ireland recognises that the humanitarian crises that existed before COVID-19 have not gone away and that Palestine Refugees will continue to require the support of the international community. Consequently we will continue to offer policy and financial support for UNRWA's important work in the period ahead.
148. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the amount spent by the Defence Forces on replacing motorcycles in the escort of honour in 2019. [22740/20]
View answerMy priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service is maintained to the greatest extent possible so as to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government both at home and overseas.
The acquisition of new equipment for the Defence Forces remains a clear focus for me. Future equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and equipment priorities planning process. The principal aim over the period of the White Paper will be to replace and upgrade, as required, existing capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of operational requirements. Equipment priorities for acquisition will now also align with the Equipment Development Plan for the Defence Forces published in June of this year. This plan builds on the intentions set out in the White Paper on Defence in relation to equipment acquisition, modernisation and upgrade and has been developed and considered through joint civil-military co-operation, ensuring that the Defence Forces will have the best equipment for the job, based on a determination of priorities from a whole of defence standpoint.
The Defence Forces fleet of vehicles is subject to regular review to ensure that it meets operational requirements both at home and overseas. In this regard a requirement for the replacement of Defence Forces Escort of Honour Motorcycles was identified due to the current fleet reaching end of life.
A tender was published on OJEU through eTenders on 14 June 2019, and following completion of the tender evaluation process a contract was awarded to Honda Distributors Ireland on the 27 September 2019. The total contract value was for €532,468.74 inclusive of VAT & VRT for the delivery of 48 motorcycles. The Defence Forces took delivery of the vehicles on 9 December 2019 and the motorcycles entered service in February 2020 after a period of driver familiarisation training.
149. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the full-year cost of recruiting ten additional aircraft technicians in the helicopter wing of the Air Corps. [22741/20]
View answerThe Defence Budget 2020 provides funding for the full establishment strength of the Permanent Defence Force of 9,500 personnel. The recruitment of personnel to fill vacancies across the establishment is provided for in that funding.
150. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Defence the amount spent on purchasing new fire appliances for the Defence Forces fire services in 2019 and to date in 2020; and the frequency with which fire appliances are replaced. [22886/20]
View answerMy priority as Minister for Defence is to ensure that the operational capability of the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service, is maintained to the greatest extent possible to enable the Defence Forces to carry out their roles as assigned by Government.
The acquisition of new equipment and the upgrading of equipment for the Defence Forces remains a clear focus for me. Future equipment priorities for the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service are considered in the context of the White Paper on Defence as part of the capability development and equipment priorities planning process. The principal aim over the period of the White Paper will be to replace and upgrade, as required, existing capabilities in order to retain a flexible response for a wide range of operational requirements both at home and overseas. Equipment priorities for acquisition will now also align with the Equipment Development Plan for the Defence Forces published in June of this year. This plan builds on the intentions set out in the White Paper on Defence in relation to equipment acquisition, modernisation and upgrade and has been developed and considered through joint civil-military co-operation, ensuring that the Defence Forces will have the best equipment for the job, based on a determination of priorities from a whole of defence standpoint.
The Defence Forces operate a fire station at the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC), Curragh Camp, a Crash Rescue Service based in Casement Aerodrome Baldonnel, and has a fire crew deployed overseas in Lebanon.
The Defence Forces fire station at the Defence Forces Training Centre (DFTC), Curragh Camp operates with one fire crew on duty at all times. The main purpose of the fire station is to provide a rapid response in the event of a fire at the Ammunition Depot, and also to respond to fire alarms and fire emergencies within the DFTC.
Certain purchasing is carried out by the Defence Forces directly under delegation of financial responsibility which permits the Defence Forces to procure a wide range of goods and services directly, this includes the purchasing of fire appliances. I am advised by the military authorities that the DFTC fire station is adequately equipped with a Class B Fire Appliance which was delivered in 2018 following an open tender competition, as well as a reserve Fire Tender which was registered in 1999. There is currently no requirement for the acquisition of additional fire appliances for the DFTC.
The other military installation with a requirement for a fire service on island is Casement Aerodrome Baldonnel, where a fire and crash rescue service is required for airfield operations. This service has two Airport Firefighting Tenders which have been in service since 2007 and 2009 respectively. Planning is underway for the replacement of these two appliances in the next 18 months. In addition there is one small 4x4 Fire Tender, the registration year on this vehicle is 2001.
A contract was placed in 2019 with High Precision Motor Products (HPMP) Ltd. Under an Office of Government Procurement (OGP) Framework Agreement for the supply of a Rapid Intervention Fire Tender (RIFT) at €424,810.20 (incl. VAT). In 2019 €332,100 (incl. VAT) was paid for the Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS) and gantry ladders associated with the fire tender. The remaining sum of €92,710.20 (incl. VAT) will be paid on delivery of the RIFT in Oct 2020. The delivery into service of the RIFT vehicle will augment the existing capability of the Air Corps Fire and Rescue Service at Casement Aerodrome Baldonnel.
A further contract was placed with HPMP in 2019, again under an OGP Framework Agreement, for the supply of a Class B Fire Tender at a cost of €424,729 (incl. VAT) to replace the Fire Tender that is in service in UNIFIL with the Irish contingent in UNP 2-45 which has been in service since 2001. In 2019 €149,998.50 (incl. VAT) was paid for the Compressed Air Foam System (CAFS), gantry ladders and winch system associated with the fire tender. The remaining sum of €274,730.50 (incl. VAT) will be paid on delivery of the Fire Tender at the end of September 2020.
The expected service life of these types of appliances is 15-20 years. I am satisfied that, with these new acquisitions and the planning for future procurements, the Defence Forces continue to have the necessary modern and effective range of equipment available to them in order to fulfil all roles assigned to them by Government.
151. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education her plans to ensure that students from Northern Ireland will not be requested to pay non-EU fees to study here regardless of ongoing Brexit negotiations. [22554/20]
View answerThe matter raised by the Deputy is a matter appropriate to my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
152. Deputy Rose Conway-Walsh asked the Minister for Education her views on setting SUSI grant eligibility at an appropriate level to provide real equality of access to third level education. [22555/20]
View answerThe matter raised by the Deputy is a matter appropriate to my colleague the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
153. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education if a review will be undertaken of the case of a teacher (details supplied) in County Louth who recently underwent major surgery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22708/20]
View answerRegarding Coronavirus (Covid 19) the position is that arrangements for teachers are set out in Circular 0049/2020, which is published on my Department’s website at link: Circular 0049/2020
In this regard my Department has put in place an enhanced occupational healthcare service to assist education staff who have concerns about their risk of returning to the workplace.
A process has been established where a detailed questionnaire is submitted along with detailed medical evidence to provide clarity with respect to the medical complaints in question. All of this information is reviewed by a specialist occupational health physician, including the combined and cumulative risk that can arise when an individual suffers from more than one health condition.
The employee is categorised into one of three COVID-19 risk categories. These are general population risk, higher risk, and very high risk. This is in line with the approach being adopted in other areas of the public sector including the health sector.
The outcome of the risk categorisation is in large measure governed by the HSE guidance. However, the occupational healthcare service retains the discretion to place someone into the higher risk group if they feel they have more than one complaint and that their combination of risks warrants a higher categorisation. No individual is placed at a lower level of risk than that set out by the HSE standards.
In general, where the education staff member is in the very high risk category, then the staff member will be provided with alternative working arrangements e.g. working from home. Where the education staff member is in the general population risk or higher risk category, current HSE guidelines are that this employee could attend the workplace with appropriate social distancing and hygiene measures. Where social distancing is problematic, for example due to the nature of the role, working closely with others is possible providing that adequate controls (e.g. screens, face coverings, PPE) are effective in managing the risk. In this context, the school will discuss with the employee the School Covid-19 Response Plan, as this contains the risk assessment of the school and the measures that are being put in place to mitigate the risk posed by Covid-19.
Where an individual feels that they have been placed in an incorrect risk category a review process has been put in place by the occupational healthcare provider. This review will be undertaken by a team of four specialist occupational physicians who re-evaluate the medical evidence and deliver a consensus opinion on the risk categorisation.
In terms of the employer, there is an obligation on the school to go through the Covid response plan with the employee and ensure that all appropriate risk mitigation measures are in place for the protection of staff in the school.
154. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if the SNA exceptional review process will be expedited in respect of the case of a child (details supplied) in County Louth; if it will be ensured that the school and family have a confirmed date for the process; if it will be further ensured that the process is fast-tracked in order for the child to receive the appropriate and required SNA attention that they have been assessed as being in need of; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22709/20]
View answerThe NCSE has responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs including the allocation of SNAs and reviews. My Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school.
The NCSE review process is still on going and the NCSE have advised that a SENO will be scheduling a school visit as soon as practicable in the new school term to conclude the review exercise. The exceptional review process for mainstream allocations will be available to schools throughout the 2020/21 school year.
Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
A school can appeal the outcome of an exceptional review and details of how to do this are here: https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GuidanceSchoolAppealing-Exceptional-Review-outcome.docx
155. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if reductions in teacher numbers will be frozen until such time that schools (details supplied) in County Louth have managed the Covid-19 pandemic and are in a position to manage an increase in class numbers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22711/20]
View answerThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.
The staffing schedule includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The schools referred to by the Deputy were unsuccessful in their appeals to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
The Roadmap for Full Return to School set outs the plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of our schools. It has been developed in line with public health advice issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the Roadmap for Society and Business, and follows comprehensive and intensive engagement with education stakeholders including the school management bodies and staff representatives.
My Department is providing capital and current funding of an additional €377 million to support implementation of the roadmap. The supports are comprehensive across a range of areas and involve funding for measures such as PPE, hand sanitisation, enhanced cleaning and hygiene, physical distancing, management supports and substitution provision. It is also recognised that schools may require some reconfiguration works and this is supported by a once off enhanced minor works grant of €75 million to prepare their buildings and classrooms for reopening including an uplift for schools with SEN pupils.
The public health guidance recognises that the ability to achieve 1m physical distancing for junior infants to 2nd classes is not a prerequisite for facilitating a full return of all pupils. While there is the requirement for 1m physical distancing for the senior classes (3rd class to 6th class), schools also have the flexibility to organise their classes into bubbles and pods. The requirement in the public health guidance is for each pod to be 1m apart as distinct from each pupil in the pods.
My Department has published practical guidance for schools to help achieve physical distancing in line with public health advice and include:
- Reconfiguring classroom accommodation through the removal of unnecessary items of furniture, shelving etc.
- Using the largest classrooms for the senior classes
- Reviewing the size of each class so that there is a more even spread of pupils between each class
- Maximising available space within the footprint of the school
- If necessary, look at opportunities for sourcing any nearby accommodation for a large class e.g. parish hall, sports facilities etc. The Department supports same through the minor works grant and additional funding can be provided where necessary.
The public health advice recognises that the implementation of physical distancing will look different across the various ages and stages of learning and that a balanced and common sense approach should be applied in the implementation of measures, allowing for some flexibility when needed whilst noting that it must be applied in a practical way, recognising that the learning environment cannot be dominated by a potentially counterproductive focus on this issue.
156. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education when a detailed design stage application submitted by a school (details supplied) will be approved to allow the additional accommodation approved to proceed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22765/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the delivery of this project is devolved to the school authority. My Department received a preliminary design report from Culmore National school in early 2020 for review. An issue with an aspect of the design of the building was identified and a review carried out by officials in that respect. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a letter informing the school the design had ultimately been approved following this review issued to the school on 20th August.
The following revised reply was received on 15 September 2020.
As the Deputy is aware, the delivery of this project is devolved to the school authority. My Department received a preliminary design report from Culmore National school in early 2020 for review. An issue with an aspect of the design of the building was identified and a review carried out by officials in that respect. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the design has ultimately been approved following this review and officials in my Department will be writing to the school authority shortly to give approval to progress the project to the planning stage.
157. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to an application for summer works by a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; if the application will be expedited with a view to allocating funding to complete the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22766/20]
View answerI can inform the Deputy that my Department has received a tender report with respect to the project to which he refers. This report is currently under review by officials and the outcome of that review will be notified to the school shortly.
158. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of applications for concessionary tickets for school transport refused in each of the years 2016 to 2019 and to date in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22792/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were 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.
Under the terms of the scheme, children are eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Distance eligibility is determined by Bus Éireann by measuring the shortest traversable route from the child’s home to the relevant 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 may apply for transport on a concessionary basis only and may be facilitated where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated. Where the number of ineligible children who complete the application and payment process on time exceeds the number of spare seats available Bus Éireann will allocate tickets for the spare seats using an agreed selection process.
The detail sought by the Deputy is not readily available. School Transport Section of my Department will provide the information directly to the Deputy once it is available to them.
159. Deputy Chris Andrews asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) will be awarded funding to help with the extra costs of reopening to ensure the students and staff are as safe as possible. [22794/20]
View answerThe Covid-19 Response Plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of Post-Primary Schools was published 27th July 2020. In addition Circular 0046/2020 outlines the Covid-19 operational supports that are being made available to assist with re-opening schools.
These supports are made available to all post-primary schools in the free education sector and through an application process for schools in the fee-charging sector.
The Department has already indicated to all schools in the fee charging sector including the school referred to by the Deputy that they can submit an application to the Department (via reopeningschools@education.gov.ie) seeking support (financial and/or staffing) where it can clearly demonstrate difficulties in implementing necessary control measures outlined in the plan and how the provision of additional support from the Department would help to overcome those particular difficulties. All applications received are considered on a case by case basis.
160. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if the appeals board has considered an application for the appointment of a mainstream class teacher for a school (details supplied) in County Cork. [22818/20]
View answerThe Roadmap for Full Return to School set outs the plan for the safe and sustainable reopening of our schools. It has been developed in line with public health advice issued by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre (HPSC), the Roadmap for Society and Business, and follows comprehensive and intensive engagement with education stakeholders including the school management bodies and staff representatives.
My Department is providing capital and current funding of an additional €377 million to support implementation of the roadmap. The supports are comprehensive across a range of areas and involve funding for measures such as PPE, hand sanitisation, enhanced cleaning and hygiene, physical distancing, management supports and substitution provision. It is also recognised that schools may require some reconfiguration works and this is supported by a once off enhanced minor works grant of €75 million to prepare their buildings and classrooms for reopening including an uplift for schools with SEN pupils.
The public health guidance recognises that the ability to achieve 1m physical distancing for junior infants to 2nd classes is not a prerequisite for facilitating a full return of all pupils. While there is the requirement for 1m physical distancing for the senior classes (3rd class to 6th class) schools also have the flexibility to organise their classes into bubbles and pods. The requirement in the public health guidance is for each pod to be 1m apart as distinct from each pupil in the pods.
My Department has published practical guidance for schools to help achieve physical distancing in line with public health advice and include:
- Reconfiguring classroom accommodation through the removal of unnecessary items of furniture, shelving etc.
- Using the largest classrooms for the senior classes
- Reviewing the size of each class so that there is a more even spread of pupils between each class
- Maximising available space within the footprint of the school
- If necessary, look at opportunities for sourcing any nearby accommodation for a large class e.g. parish hall, sports facilities etc. The Department supports same through the minor works grant and additional funding can be provided where necessary.
The public health advice recognises that the implementation of physical distancing will look different across the various ages and stages of learning and that a balanced and common sense approach should be applied in the implementation of measures, allowing for some flexibility when needed whilst noting that it must be applied in a practical way, recognising that the learning environment cannot be dominated by a potentially counterproductive focus on this issue.
Schools are advised that they have an option of an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board should they continue to experience difficulties, having first taken measures necessary to achieve physical distancing in line with published guidance. The appeal received from the school referred to by the Deputy will be considered at the next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.
161. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education if school transport will be provided to pupils (details supplied) in view of the fact that they are medical card holders and entitled to school transport and that there is availability on the school bus to accommodate them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22842/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2019/2020 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were 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.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal was temporarily closed for applications and payments on the 20th August 2020. This temporary closure was necessary to complete the work required to issue tickets to families who at that time remained due to be allocated a ticket for school transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
The School Transport Scheme Family Portal has now re-opened. However, parents/guardians making an application/payment at this time for the 2020/2021 school year are reminded that the closing date for payments for the 2020/21 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. While it is possible to submit a payment, payments made at this time are now late. Late applicants and/or families who pay late are not guaranteed a seat and will only be allocated a seat if capacity is available once seats are allocated to those families who applied and paid on time for transport services for the 2020/2021 school year.
In addition, payments for Post-Primary seats completed or made after 4th August 2020 will be only considered when 50% capacity, required by new Covid19 public health guidelines, is achieved on each route. The timeframe for this will vary from route to route and may take a number of weeks to complete.
In the event of not securing a ticket where no capacity exists, or on cancellation, a full refund will be issued.
Bus Éireann has advised that they have not received payment/medical card details to date for the family referred to by the Deputy for the 2020/21 school year.
162. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education the status of a new school building for a school (details supplied). [22866/20]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy opened its doors to 64 first year students on Friday August 28th 2020. In the context of the current accommodation arrangements the school has had to make some modifications to its subject offering for this term. While it was not feasible to make full provision for specialist subjects at the school's current location, Department officials will continue to work closely with KWETB to ensure the needs of the school community continue to be met.
I can confirm a potential site option has been identified for the permanent location for the school and discussions are ongoing with the landowner with a view to acquiring this site.
As the Deputy will appreciate, the site acquisition process can be lengthy and there can be complex issues which need to be addressed during negotiations, technical assessments or conveyancing. At all times my Department strives to obtain best value for the Exchequer.
My Department is committed to delivering a site for the new post primary school for this area and work is ongoing to achieve this as soon as possible.
163. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the number of students that have been refused school bus tickets in 2020; the number of appeals submitted against decisions to refuse school bus tickets; the number of appeals finalised; the number of successful appeals; the length of time it is taking to decide on appeals; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22964/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were 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.
The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020. All children who are eligible for school transport and who applied and paid by the deadline have been accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
In the 2019/20 school year 3,100 pupils who, due to either being eligible but not having paid on time or due to being concessionary and not getting a seat in the allocation process, were unsuccessful in obtaining a school bus ticket.
Decisions made by, or on behalf of, the Department of Education and Skills regarding the provision of school transport services and/or grant-aid under the terms of the School Transport Schemes may be appealed to the School Transport Appeals Board.
When received, the Board will liaise directly with the family regarding the appeal date and their subsequent deliberations.
To date in 2020 the School Transport Appeals Board has received 437 appeals. Of this number, one appeal was allowed and a total of 195 appeals were either disallowed or were resolved between being submitted and being heard by the Board. There are 230 appeals whereby additional information has been sought by School Transport Section from Bus Éireann and once this information is received these appeals will be referred to the Board. There are 6 appeals that have been received in recent days and a further 5 that have been submitted to the Board for their next meeting which is due to be held on the 17th September 2020.
164. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the steps she will take to overhaul the school transport scheme, which fails hundreds of students annually; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [22965/20]
View answerIn the 2019/20 school year over 120,000 children, including over 14,200 children with special educational needs, were 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 October 2019, the then Minister announced a review of the school transport scheme with a view to ensuring funds are being spent in the most effective way to meet the objectives of the scheme. Terms of reference and the scope of the review have been drafted and a Steering Group has been established.
It was proposed that the review would, in the first instance, look at existing analysis and the short term options available to the Department in terms of the scheme and its implementation in September 2020 with a view to preparing an initial report by the second quarter of 2020. This was to be followed by a deeper examination of the current model of services and its component strands with a view to putting forward options for the future operation of an integrated and sustainable scheme.
Given the current evolving situation with Covid-19 and the continued restrictions the work of the Steering Group has been delayed. It is intended to convene the Steering Group shortly and to agree and supplement revised terms of reference to reflect the Programme for Government.
The Review will build on the proposals in the Programme for Government, which sets out the following objectives:
- Accelerate sustainable transport plans for schools. We will complete the review of the School Transport Scheme to seek better outcomes and reduce car journeys. The School Transport Scheme should work in liaison with the Safe Routes to Schools Programme.
- We will conduct a comprehensive review of the School Transport Scheme, identifying recommendations for the scheme to provide better value and a better service for students, including those with special educational needs, and examining issues such as the nearest or next-nearest school.
165. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the number of schools that have appealed their special needs assistant and special education teaching allocations by county. [22966/20]
View answerThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE) conducts reviews of the allocation of Special EducationTeachers (SETs) and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) in circumstances where schools consider that exceptional circumstances have arisen in their school which means that they cannot provide for the special education teaching or SNA needs of their pupil population from within the total allocations provided for them.
In relation to Special Education Teaching (SET) resources, it is acknowledged that there are some circumstances which relate to exceptional or emergency circumstances which could not have been anticipated e.g. where the school profile changes very significantly, or where other exceptional circumstances have arisen in a school and which may require a review of schools capacity to provide additional teaching support for all pupils who need it in the school, or of their utilisation of their allocations.
A process is in place where schools can seek a review of their allocations, including the utilisation of their allocations, in circumstances where a school considers that very exceptional circumstances have arisen subsequent to the development of the profile.
This appeal process, which is managed by the NCSE is available at:
https://ncse.ie/review-of-special-education-teacher-supports-where-there-are-exceptional-circumstances-or-needs-arising-in-a-school-2
Similarly, where schools consider that they do not have sufficient SNA support to meet their needs, where exceptional circumstances have arisen in their schools, they may apply to the NCSE to request a review of their existing SNA allocation on the grounds of exceptional needs arising in the school.
Detailed information on the NCSE exceptional review process is published on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
A school can also appeal the outcome of an exceptional review and details of how to do this are here: https://ncse.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/GuidanceSchoolAppealing-Exceptional-Review-outcome.docx
As this question relates to the number of schools that have appealed their special needs assistant and special education teaching allocations to the NCSE, by county, I have referred this question to the NCSE for their consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.
