Written Answers Nos. 235-254
235. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Defence if his Department leases additional office space that is outside its departmental building and the estates section of the OPW; and, if so, the details of the lease, including the terms of the lease, location, price and duration. [35870/20]
View answerI can confirm that my Department does not lease additional office space outside of Departmental buildings or the estates section of the OPW.
236. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Defence if his Department or an agency operating under his Department has encountered expenditure in respect of hand sanitisation products or other PPE products that were subsequently subject to a recall by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2020; if so, the expenditure in respect of such products; if the expenditures will be recouped from the sellers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35999/20]
View answerI can confirm that the Department, including the Defence Forces have encountered no expenditure in respect of hand sanitisation products or other PPE products that were subsequently subject to a recall by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2020.
A review of all related items procured by both the Department and the Defence Forces was conducted against the recall list resulting in no recalled items being identified. The Department has also contacted our hand sanitiser suppliers and they have confirmed their products compliance with H and S standards.
237. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the number of Army Reserve officers who were commissioned after 1 October 2005 who have attained the rank of captain; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36081/20]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy could not be collated within the timeframe. I have requested the Military Authorities to provide this data as soon as possible and I will revert to the Deputy as soon as the information is made available to me.
238. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Defence if the provisions of paragraph 31(1) of Defence Forces Regulation R5 have ever been used to promote an Army Reserve officer commissioned after 1 October 2005; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36082/20]
View answerThe information sought by the Deputy could not be collated within the timeframe. I have requested the Military Authorities to provide this information as soon as possible and I will revert to the Deputy as soon as the information is made available to me.
239. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Defence the estimated projections for the increased expenditure in order to participate in the European peace facility; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36121/20]
View answerThe European Peace Facility was proposed by High Representative and Vice President of the Commission, Federica Mogherini, in 2018 with the aim of providing the EU with a single off-budget financing mechanism of up to €5 billion for the period of the next MFF - 2021 to 2027 and would finance a range of Common Security Defence Policy (CSDP) actions having military or defence implications.
The EPF would unite and expand the scope of two existing off-budget mechanisms, the Athena Funding Mechanism which handles the financing of common costs relating to EU military operations under the EU's common security and defence policy (CSDP), currently funded by the Department of Defence, and the African Peace Facility, which primarily supports African Union actions and is currently funded by the Department of Foreign Affairs. The EPF is seen as a global instrument and will, in particular, expand the geographical scope of the African Peace Facility.
While discussions are on-going at EU level to finalise the provisions of the mechanism, it is expected that this mechanism will be operational in 2021. Member States contributions to the new mechanism will be based on a gross national income (GNI) distribution key. Ireland's GNI distribution key is expected to increase in 2021 to reflect the impact of Brexit.
The Department of Defence has responsibility for the Athena Mechanism. Under the proposed EPF, funding for Athena will remain in a separate pillar within the framework of the EPF and will be expanded to account for additional costs associated with EU overseas deployments. While projected out-turn for Ireland's contribution to Athena in 2020 is approximately €1.7m we have no budget proposal from the EU for Athena for 2021 at this time.
The allocation of the €5.0bn for the period 2021 to 2027 for the EPF across assistance measures (under what was the African Peace Facility) and Athena and across each of the seven years of the MFF has not yet been determined. Also the actual drawdown of funding will be dependent on the number and scale of CSDP missions going forward, the elements of agreed common funding and agreement on the various assistance measures for partner funding. Given these variables it is not possible to provide precise details of the annual increase in costs arising from the mechanism at this time. Discussions continue in Brussels on the scope of the measure and the exact provisions and it would seem that that will be agreed before member States turn to consider the budget. There are on-going discussions here between the Departments of Defence, Foreign Affairs, Finance and Public Expenditure and Reform in relation to this matter.
240. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education when school transport will be provided to siblings (details supplied) given that the applications were submitted on time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36114/20]
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. Under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8kms from and are attending their nearest Post Primary School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
All children who are eligible for school transport and who completed the application and payment process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the 2020/21 school year where such services are in operation. The closing date for payment for the 2020/2021 school year was Tuesday 4th August 2020.
Bus Eireann has confirmed, that the children to whom the Deputy refers, are eligible for School Transport. Bus Éireann has also confirmed that payment for School Transport for the 2020/2021 school year was received on 4th November 2020 and as such is a late payment.
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 or submission of medical card details for Post-Primary seats completed or made after 4th August 2020 will be only considered when 50% capacity, required by Covid19 public health guidelines, is achieved on each route.
In the event of not securing a ticket where no capacity exists, or on cancellation, a full refund will be issued.
241. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education the status of divestment plans for primary and secondary schools in order to provide more multi- and non-denominational school options for parents; and the progress that has been made in 2020 on same. [35817/20]
View answerThe Programme for Government commits to achieving a target of at least 400 multi-denominational primary schools by 2030 to improve parental choice.
The Schools Reconfiguration for Diversity process supporting transfers of schools to multi- denominational patrons in response to the wishes of local families is based around principles of transparency and cooperation. The process has been developed in order to accelerate the delivery of multi-/non-denominational schools across the country. This Reconfiguration process involves the transfer of existing live schools as opposed to the amalgamation and/or closure model of the patronage divesting process.
The initial identification phase of the process involved each of the 16 Education and Training Boards (ETB) identifying an initial pilot area within their functional area where they considered there may be unmet oncoming demand for a multi-/non-denominational school and arranging for surveys of parents of pre-school children in these areas.
My Department officials have been engaging with representatives of the Irish Episcopal Conference with a view to developing an agreed approach to the next Phase of the process. The identification phase work provides useful learning and is informing the development of the process.
The “Early Movers” provision of the Schools Reconfiguration Process enables school communities which have already decided to seek a transfer of patronage (independent of the survey process envisaged as part of the Reconfiguration process) to engage with their school patron on the matter. A patron may transfer patronage under section 8 of the Education Act 1998. A number of patronage changes have taken place in recent years in this context, resulting in the provision of an additional 11 Community National Schools.
In parallel with the Reconfiguration process, my Department is continuing to work with stakeholders to progress delivery of diversity in areas already identified as part of the 2012 and 2013 patronage divesting process surveys. 12 schools have been established under this process, all of which have a multi-denominational ethos.
242. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education the status of a school building project (details supplied); the timeframe for progression; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35818/20]
View answerThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design. The Stage 2(b) submission has been reviewed by my Department and comments issued to the school and its Design Team in July 2020. The Design Team have been requested to carry out a final review of all of its tender documentation to ensure compliance with Department requirements and to submit written confirmation from each Design Team member when this work has been completed.
In July, my Department also authorised the school and its Design Team to commence the pre-qualification process to select a short-list of contractors and this process is currently on-going.
Upon receipt of Design Team confirmations and completion of the prequalification process and subject to no issues arising, my Department will be in contact with the school with regard to the further progression of this project to the next stage of architectural planning - Stage 3 (Tender Stage).
A tender stage normally takes between 7 and 8 months to complete.
243. Deputy Denise Mitchell asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to expand the yellow flag programme to all schools throughout the State; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35823/20]
View answer249. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education if the framework components of the yellow flag programme will be incorporated into the national education policy; if a strategy will be established on same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35980/20]
View answer253. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education if she will consider incorporating aspects of the yellow flag programme into national education policy. [36019/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 243, 249 and 253 together.
The role of the school is to provide an appropriate education for all its pupils. A stable, secure learning environment is an essential requirement to achieve this goal. Schools have autonomy in choosing the resources and programmes that best support the work within their own classrooms.
The Yellow Flag programme aims to support primary and secondary schools to become more inclusive of all cultures and ethnicities, celebrate diversity and challenge racism and discrimination. While respecting schools' autonomy to participate in such programmes, my Department has introduced a number of measures to assist schools in this matter.
My Department's ‘Wellbeing Policy Statement and Framework for Practice (2019)' acknowledges that schools provide opportunities to develop friendships and to respectfully encounter diversity and access support structures. The policy promotes the provision of a whole-school approach at both primary and post-primary level to supporting wellbeing, an approach that has been found internationally to produce a wide range of educational and social benefits for individual children and young people, including increased inclusion, greater social cohesion, increased social capital and improvements to mental health.
The Action Plan on Bullying, published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying and promoting an anti-bullying culture in schools. It recommended 12 actions that focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aims to ensure that all forms of bullying including identity based bullying are addressed. National Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary schools, were published in September 2013 and are being implemented in all 4,000 primary and post primary schools throughout the country. The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour including identity based bullying amongst their pupils. The procedures make clear that the definition of bullying behaviour includes identity-based bullying such as racist bullying. The procedures require that the prevention of bullying must be an integral part of a school’s anti-bullying policy.
As part of the National Traveller and ROMA Inclusion Strategy 2017-2021 (NTRIS) published by the Department of Justice and Equality, which aims to improve the lives of Travellers and ROMA in Ireland, my Department has commissioned research on the effectiveness of the Department’s Anti-Bullying strategy on experiences of Traveller and Roma Children. The project was developed in consultation with the Traveller representative groups. The research project has commenced and involves engagement with children and their parents and with schools.
My Department will continue to address the areas of anti-racism, identity-based bullying and cultural awareness through a suite of supports including the recently revised Stay Safe Programme and the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) to teachers at Primary and Post-Primary level and in initial teacher education. It will ensure that such programmes enable teachers to deal with teaching and learning needs of all students from all cultural backgrounds and provide support for pedagogical practices that promote inclusion.
In addition, curriculum at both primary and post-primary aims to foster inclusivity where equality and diversity are promoted. The Primary Curriculum acknowledges the importance of a balanced and informed awareness of the diversity of peoples and environments in the world. Such an awareness helps children to understand the world and contributes to their personal and social development as citizens of a global community. The curriculum promotes tolerance and respect for diversity in both the school and the community. The Social Personal and Health Education Curriculum (SPHE) supports students learning in the areas of inclusion, diversity and counter racism. The SPHE content is complemented by the work carried out in social, environmental and scientific education (SESE) at primary SESE enables the child to live as an informed and caring member of local and wider communities.
Under the Framework for Junior Cycle, there are twenty four statements of learning which should inform the programme designed by all schools. One of these statements is: (The student) appreciates and respects how diverse values, beliefs and traditions have contributed to the communities and culture in which she/he lives. This junior cycle short course in CSPE focuses on supporting students in become active citizens through their learning in three strands: Rights and responsibilities, Global citizenship, and Exploring democracy.
As part of the Departments ongoing curricular reform consideration of issues in relation to inclusivity/diversity etc. will be considered as part of the ongoing reviews in relation to the primary curriculum and senior cycle at post-primary.
My Department will continue to provide guidance and information on supports such as the Yellow Flag Programme.
244. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education when the temporary accommodation for a school (details supplied) will be finished; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35835/20]
View answerThe school to which the deputy refers was approved funding under the Additional Accommodation Scheme 2020 to purchase a 2-storey prefabricated temporary building to provide for five general classrooms for 2020/21 with a scope to provide further classrooms and specialist rooms for 2021/22, which are to be accommodated on Kishogue Community School.
This project has been devolved for delivery to Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board (DDLETB). This project is currently under construction with an estimated completion date of end November 2020.
245. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her Department has lease arrangements with co-working real estate companies; and, if so, the details of the leases, including the terms of the lease, location, price and duration. [35853/20]
View answerThe renting and leasing of Government offices is the responsibility of Property Management Services in the Office of Public Works, which acts as an agent for all Government Departments. The number, terms and cost of the leases is a matter for the OPW.
246. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if her Department leases additional office space that is outside its departmental building and the estates section of the OPW; and, if so, the details of the lease, including the terms of the lease, location, price and duration. [35871/20]
View answerOffice facilities are provided through the Office of Public Works except for a single lease. My Department leases office space directly in the Kilkenny Education Centre for the National Educational Psychological Service. The lease was taken out in 2007/2008 and is renewed annually. The cost of this lease is currently €47,400 per annum and includes the provision of utility and cleaning services.
The current lease includes a mixture of single and multiple occupancy rooms as well as a hot desk facility.
247. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 329 of 20 October 2020, if she will provide a timeframe in respect of the matter. [35922/20]
View answerThe major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design.
Updated and amended tender documentation requested upon review of the revised Stage 2(b) report has recently been reviewed by my Department. Further comments have issued to the Design Team who have been requested to carry out a final review of all of its tender documentation to ensure compliance with Department requirements and to submit written confirmation from each Design Team member when this work has been completed.
In order to expedite the progression of this project, my Department recently authorised the Design Team to commence the pre-qualification process to select a short-list of contractors while the Department was reviewing the additional tender documentation submitted.
Upon receipt of Design Team confirmations and completion of the pre-qualification process and subject to no issues arising, my Department will be in contact with the Design Team and school with regard to the further progression of this project to the next stage of architectural planning - Stage 3 (Tender Stage).
A tender stage normally takes between 7 and 8 months to complete.
248. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 373 of 20 October 2020, when a detailed reply will issue to the question raised. [35941/20]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that overall costs for the period Q4 2018 to the end to the end Q2 2020 were €89.9m excluding VAT and €104.1m including VAT. Costs reflect the very significant level of works completed in 2019 and 2020, complexities to be managed with detailed investigations, developing a remediation solution, retrofitting existing buildings and the need to have detailed and robust arrangements in place to record the investigations and works while ensuring that the schools remained operational where possible.
Given the legal process for the recovery of costs is at quite an advanced stage, with 2 cases in the Commercial Court and proceedings issued and served in relation to all other 38 schools, the legal advice to the Department is to avoid commentary in the public domain on the details of the Schools Remediation Programme including in relation to costs.
250. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education if she will consider suspending the use of prescribed English texts which include racial slurs until there is a review of their suitability; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [35987/20]
View answerThe curriculum is considered to be for all learners regardless of race, religion, socioeconomic background, gender or orientation. It is the aim of my Department that every child has access to equitable education and that each learner feels safe and happy in the school environment, at every stage.
At post-primary level, there are a number of prescribed texts for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate. The decision on which particular text to use rests with the school itself. They can choose whichever text best suits the context of their teaching.
Achieving a balanced list of texts remains a challenging and worthwhile endeavour and work continues to create a broadly balanced, diverse and inclusive list every year. For example, the most recently published list of prescribed texts for Junior Cycle English is current for the student cohorts 2018-21, 2019-22 and 2020–23. This list will be reviewed in the coming months and made available to schools for the 2021-24 cohort.
A variety of factors influence the selection of prescribed texts, including the aspiration to achieve social and cultural diversity and inclusivity, the age appropriateness of texts, the merit of the text on grounds of excellence, as well as practical factors, such as availability and cost. As prescribed lists are developed from year to year, additional factors come to the fore and influence the choices made. In addition, newly published authors are considered for inclusion. Contemporary issues and world events also impact on prescription.
The prescribed text list working groups for Junior Cycle and Leaving Certificate English is informed and guided by Criteria for the Selection of Texts which aims to achieve a balance between classic and contemporary texts; Irish and non-Irish authorship; seeks gender balance in authorship and representation; embraces diversity and inclusion; accessibility of texts; general suitability and comparative potential.
Outside of these prescribed works, the decision on any additional texts to support teaching and learning rests with the school.
Current and previous text lists offer many opportunities to explore issues relating to racism and inclusion/exclusion of particular groups in society.
The text list for Junior Cycle English currently includes, for example, the novels Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe; Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman; and the play The 14th Tale by Inua Ellams.
Other texts which offer opportunities to explore issues relating to racism and inclusion/exclusion of particular groups in society include The Secret Diary of Anne Frank; The Cay by Theodore Taylor; Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck; To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee; Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys and the play Girl from the North Country by Conor McPherson.
At Leaving Certificate level, the text list for English currently includes Americanah by Chimimanda Ngozi Adichie. A number of texts in translation (generally one film and one novel) are also available for study. In the spirit of embracing diversity broadly, currently, the film Mustang by Deniz Gamze Erguven, the memoir If This Is A Man by Primo Levi and the novel Out of Shadows by Jason Wallace are also available for study.
The plays Eclipsed by Patricia Burke Brogan and Tribes by Nina Raine and the novel The Lauras by Sara Taylor explore the experiences of marginalised groups, namely women in the Magdalene laundries, the deaf community and transgender teenagers. The classic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley offers significant scope to explore the concept of othering in society and to link it to current examples, such as the black lives matter movement.
How best teachers can be supported in approaching potentially controversial topics (such as those that are very topical in the media at present) always form an important part in discussions in relation to prescribed texts and will continue to do so. In our increasingly diverse society, it is crucial that students see their own story reflected in their learning and teachers should be supported in planning and developing quality learning opportunities that are contextualised to the students sitting in their classrooms. Communication from students as to their experiences in the classroom are very welcome and help shape the support we can offer to teachers.
251. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education if her Department or an agency operating under her Department has encountered expenditure in respect of hand sanitisation products or other PPE products that were subsequently subject to a recall by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2020; if so, the expenditure in respect of such products; if the expenditures will be recouped from the sellers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36000/20]
View answerOn 22 October 2020 the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine notified my Department that it had removed ViraPro hand sanitiser from the product register. On the same day my Department removed the supplier of Virapro and its entire product offering from the Education Sector PPE Procurement Agreement and advised all schools to cease all use of these products. These products have been on general sale and not just available through the education sector framework. On Friday 23rd the Department of Agriculture further advised not to use any Virapro branded product and this was communicated to schools, with the instruction to store the product pending collection by the supplier.
On foot of these notifications arrangements were also made to bring to the attention of the wider Department and its aegis bodies guidance on the product recall, and on the follow-on decision to remove from the approved list of products under the Education Sector PPE Procurement Agreement 52 other products which were not subject to the product recall but whose registration status could not be confirmed.
Based on data supplied by Maxxcare, the supplier of Virapro, it is estimated that 10% of schools have been supplied with Virapro. The total value of the product supplied is estimated to be between €200,000 to €300,000. This estimated value is based on sales data and therefore it is expected that the value of the product to be recalled is lower given some product would have been used since purchased. The Department will continue to monitor the situation and update data as it becomes available.
252. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education when a payment to a person (details supplied) will be made; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [36018/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. 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 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.
With regard to transport arrangements for the Summer Programme, my Department committed to providing grant funding to support families with the cost of transport arrangements for those children who were eligible for school transport and who were approved to participate in the school based Summer Programme.
Schools were required to identify children who availed of a School Transport service or who were in receipt of a grant. School Transport Section issued correspondance to schools outlining what was required in order to process such payments.
School Transport Section has commenced processing payment of these grants and payments will continue to be processed in the coming weeks.
In relation to the family raised by the Deputy, a member of School Transport Section has made contact with them in regard to the processing of their payment.
254. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the protocol for students opting to sit the written leaving certificate scheduled for November 2021 if they have suspected Covid-19 symptoms and are awaiting a test or results; if they are close contacts and have to self-isolate for 14 days; the accommodation that will be made available to them to sit their exams; and if they can be accommodated to sit their exams virtually or at a later date if they have Covid-19. [36036/20]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to him.
