Written Answers Nos. 364-387
364. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Defence the planned increase in budgets and investments under policy goals for the implementation of the commitments and projects in the next PESCO phase 2021-2025; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40404/20]
View answer367. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Defence the current and planned defence spending commitments to the progress of PESCO implementation focusing in particular on the areas in which efforts have to be maintained or enhanced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40407/20]
View answer369. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on Ireland’s participation in PESCO’s new commitments around embarking on a new stage towards European security and defence integration; if he will report on the EU’s level of ambition in military terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40409/20]
View answer370. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Defence if he will report on the outcomes from the expert level workshop held by the PESCO secretariat after the Foreign Affairs Council meeting of 20 November 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40410/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 364, 367, 369 and 370 together.
With regard to the EU’s level of ambition in military terms, the EU’s Global Strategy published in 2016 elaborated and expanded on the EU’s level of ambition on security and defence. Taking stock of a rapidly deteriorating security environment for Europe, the strategy broadened the EU’s level of ambition beyond crisis management and capacity building to include issues such as hybrid threats, cybersecurity, border management and other challenges that sit along the internal-external security nexus.
The establishment of PESCO represented a further development in EU Cooperation in support of international peace and security under Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP). Ireland has participated in PESCO since it was established. As part of our participation in PESCO, Ireland has committed to regularly increase our defence budgets in real terms. It should be noted that regularly does not mean annually but rather over the medium term. Ireland’s defence expenditure increased in real terms in both 2019 and 2020 and with the announced increase of over €32m in the defence allocation for Budget 2021, Ireland’s defence expenditure will continue to increase in real terms. The Council Decision under which PESCO is established provides that the commitment cannot be inconsistent with or affect national sovereignty or the specific character of the security and defence policy of certain Member States and must be consistent with the applicable constitutional provisions of the member State.
Joining PESCO does not of itself involve any direct additional cost to the Exchequer. However, additional costs may arise in respect of participation in specific PESCO projects similar to the case where the Defence Forces participate in European Defence Agency Project, the costs of which are met from the Defence Vote. Ireland is currently a participant in one PESCO project and holds observer status on a further nine. To date the only costs that have been incurred through PESCO relate only to costs associated with attendance by military Subject Matter Experts at PESCO project planning meetings.
The project which Ireland is a participant in, is still developing, and the budgets and timeline for participant's involvement has yet to be fully determined. This may change as the project progresses and capabilities are developed and acquired through the PESCO framework. However, it is expected that sharing the costs of capability development across a number of Member States should prove cost neutral in terms of overall projected defence expenditure.
The recently completed PESCO Strategic Review which brings to a close the first initial phase of PESCO does not establish any new commitments or modify the existing PESCO commitments for the period 2021 - 2025. Further rounds of PESCO projects are likely to be agreed during the forthcoming PESCO phase 2021 - 2025, and Ireland will assess any future project proposals to establish suitability for participation or observer status.
The PESCO workshop referred to in the question has yet to take place. The PESCO Secretariat will organise a workshop at experts’ level on the more precise objectives at the beginning of the next PESCO phase in 2021. It is expected that this workshop will take place in January 2021.
371. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence the responsibilities the Defence Forces, in particular the Air Corps, have in defending Ireland against potential air threats in Irish-controlled airspace; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40504/20]
View answerThe Air Corps is not tasked or equipped to monitor aircraft overflying the entirety of Irish airspace. However, on a routine basis, the Air Corps monitors and communicates with foreign military aircraft where such aircraft are flying in the airspace in the vicinity of Casement Aerodrome, Baldonnel, where air traffic control is provided by the Defence Forces.
As set out in the White Paper on Defence Update (2019), the National Development Plan 2018 to 2027, which provides €541m in capital funding for Defence over the period to 2022, does not make provision for any of the other service led priorities, including air defence capabilities for the Army or a radar surveillance capability for the Air Corps. It remains Government policy, as per the 2015 White Paper on Defence, that should additional funding, beyond that required to maintain existing capabilities become available the development of a more capable air combat/intercept capability and/or a radar surveillance capability will be considered. Funding for these initiatives is not provided in the current resource envelope and any future decisions in this regard will be in the context of the ongoing security environment and any associated developments.
The Department of Transport has overall responsibility for the development and formulation of national policy in the field of aviation security, and for aviation security obligations under all national and international legislation. The National Aviation Security Committee meets regularly, under the chairmanship of the Department of Transport. The Department of Defence and the Air Corps are members of this committee.
372. Deputy Johnny Guirke asked the Minister for Education the reason teachers who are 28 weeks plus pregnant are being denied Covid-19 based health and safety leave by Medmark occupational health care for teachers on HSE advice despite the recommendations of their doctors, and the relevant medical bodies; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39634/20]
View answerMy Department has an enhanced Occupational Health Service (OHS) in place to provide employers with occupational health advice in relation to employees’ fitness for work. Medmark, the current OHS provider has a process in place for school staff with health concerns about their risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19, through workplace attendance.
A detailed on-line questionnaire is submitted by the employee to Medmark, along with detailed medical evidence to provide clarity with respect to the medical complaint(s) in question. All of this information is reviewed by the OHS specialist occupational health physician, including the combined and cumulative risk that can arise when an employee suffers from more than one health condition. The risk categorisation is comprehensive and follows the same process that is being applied across other sectors. An employee is categorised into one of three COVID-19 risk categories. These are general population risk, higher risk, and very high risk. The outcome of the risk categorisation is governed by the HSE guidance.
Under the current HSE guidelines, a pregnant employee is not deemed to be at very high risk of serious illness from contracting COVID-19, unless suffering from a serious heart condition. A teacher who is well must therefore attend the workplace. The school has a responsibility as the employer to assess the school environment using the COVID-19 Response Plan for the school, to ensure that all the appropriate HSE recommendations for safe school operations during Covid-19 are being implemented in full.
If this, or any other relevant medical matter, is reviewed and updated by the HSE, Medmark will be informed as the occupational health service provider, by the HSE, and will adjust their decision making processes accordingly.
Where an employee considers the OHS ‘COVID-19 Health Risk Categorisation Report’ places him/her in an incorrect risk category, a review can be requested by the employee where Medmark will re-evaluate the medical evidence provided. The employee may provide additional medical evidence as part of the review process.
373. Deputy Seán Haughey asked the Minister for Education her views on the shortage of maths and physics teachers in secondary education; the measures she is taking to deal with this problem; if she will consider reducing the current professional master's in education course from two years to one year, given that a two year course involves a big investment of time and money for the students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39936/20]
View answerIn recent years, management bodies and schools have reported difficulties in recruiting teachers. At post-primary level this relates mainly to the recruitment of teachers of particular subjects, including in STEM, as well as substitute teachers.
The Steering Group on Teacher Supply was established in my Department in 2018. The Steering Group is leading on the identification of issues, the development of a programme of actions on teacher supply and the oversight of its implementation.
The Teacher Supply Action Plan contains a range of actions in four policy areas identified through the work of the Steering Group and engagement with stakeholders. A number of the actions in the plan are targeted at increasing the supply of teachers of mathematics and physics. Following engagement with the Higher Education Authority (HEA), higher education institutions (HEIs) put in place new initial teacher education (ITE) undergraduate programmes in 2019 and 2020 in a number of post-primary priority subject areas, including mathematics.
In addition, I recently announced new level 8 scholarship programmes to upskill teachers in three subjects, including mathematics and physics. These programmes will upskill registered post-primary teachers to meet Teaching Council curricular subject requirements in the targeted subjects and allow them register to teach the subject at the highest level. These programmes will begin in January 2021 with a second intake planned for 2022. Each programme will run over two years on a part-time, flexible basis so as to ensure the best opportunity for teachers to participate, including those in partial or full employment and to facilitate participation of teachers on a national scale. Places are being provided on the mathematics and physics programmes for over 270 teachers. There will be no fee cost to participating teachers.
I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no plans at present to modify the duration of the postgraduate entry route to teaching.
Changes to the duration and content of all initial teacher education programmes were made in response to recommendations in the National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020 and were incorporated into the Teaching Council’s Policy Paper on the Continuum of Teacher Education and Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers.
Improvements which have been made to initial teacher education programmes include the reconfiguration of the content and duration of courses, with the duration of concurrent ITE programmes set at a minimum of four years while the postgraduate programmes of teacher education are set at two years, thereby facilitating an innovative reconceptualisation of programmes.
The lengthened and reconfigured programmes include substantial periods of school placement as central to student teacher development and a number of core elements including literacy and numeracy, Inclusive Education, Global Citizen Education, Digital Skills, creativity and reflective practice.
These reforms focus on improving the quality of teaching in our schools, which is central to the educational outcomes of our children.
374. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Education her views on whether the bar on bus drivers over the age of 70 who are medically fit for work is discriminatory on age grounds; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40285/20]
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.
It is Bus Éireann policy that the normal retirement age for all staff is currently 66 years. Bus Éireann part-time school bus drivers and drivers nominated by private operators as school bus drivers may continue to perform this role, subject to completing an annual medical examination up to the retirement age of 70 years.
This criteria is applied to all drivers who provide services as part of the School transport scheme that is operated by Bus Éireann, on behalf of the Department of Education. As this age limit has been examined previously and the retirement age extended to 70 years, there are no plans to extend this limit further at this point in time.
375. Deputy Matt Shanahan asked the Minister for Education if teachers who were recruited between 2014 and 2017 on lower pay contracts will have their salaries adjusted to match those of their peers; if funding has been allotted for same within the education service plan; if so, when the pay disparity will cease; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40022/20]
View answerThe public service agreements have allowed a programme of pay restoration for public servants to start. The starting salary for a new entrant teacher in 2012 was €30,702. As a result of the programme of pay restoration, the starting salary of a teacher is now €37,692.
Section 11 of the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017 provides that “the Minister [for Public Expenditure and Reform] shall, within three months of the passing of this Act, prepare and lay before the Oireachtas a report on the cost of and a plan in dealing with pay equalisation for new entrants to the public service.”
The report laid before the Oireachtas on foot of this provision by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform assesses the cost of a further change which would provide a two scale point adjustment to new entrants recruited since 2011. The total cost of such an adjustment across the public sector is of the order of €200 million, of which Education accounts for approximately €83 million. The report also acknowledges that, during the financial crisis, there were policy changes which affected remuneration in different occupations across the public sector (including education).
The matter of new entrant pay is a cross sectoral issue, not just an issue for the education sector alone. The Government supports the gradual, negotiated repeal of the FEMPI legislation, having due regard to the priority to improve public services and in recognition of the essential role played by public servants.
The total year one cost of equalising the pay of new entrant teachers to the pre-2011 arrangements is estimated to be in the region of €59 million per annum in year one (€45 million for full resolution of pay scales and €14 million for re-instatement of the H.Dip allowance). The costs would rise in subsequent years as more new entrants join the system.
On 24 September 2018, an agreement was reached between the Government and the public services committee of ICTU in respect of new entrant pay.
This agreement is benefitting 18,000 teachers and nearly 5,000 SNAs within the education sector. The deal provides for a series of incremental jumps for new entrants.
I am fully aware that the teacher unions have outstanding issues of concern following the September 2018 agreement. These outstanding matters will be given full consideration. This will happen in the context of the next round of pay talks. The positions of each of the parties on these matters must be given due regard in endeavouring to reach a mutually agreed resolution.
The current series of restorative measures for new entrants have been achieved through continued engagement and collective bargaining between the Government and the public service unions and shows the benefits that such engagement can bring.
376. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education the way in which regulations were policed, in view of the fact that many of these families were attending schools (details supplied); if in such cases the schools are informed of the practice; and the way in which this regulation is managed. [40261/20]
View answerFrom Monday 9 November, Ireland has implemented the EU co-ordinated traffic light approach for those travelling into Ireland.
In general this requires those returning to or entering Ireland from orange or red list countries to restrict their movements for 14 days, and this includes school staff, parents and students and students coming from abroad to attend school in Ireland. Restricting your movements means staying indoors in one location and avoiding contact with other people and social situations as much as possible.
Schools have a duty of care to all of its students and staff members. If a school has reasonable grounds for believing that its duty of care toward its staff and students is being undermined schools can refuse access to the student or staff member concerned during this period.
The whole school community is working together to create a positive and safe environment for teaching and learning in the particular context of COVID-19. Ensuring that all students and their parents are made aware of the public health requirements as they relate to schools in a COVID-19 context is very important.
My Department, working with the education partners, has developed a range of information and resources for parents and students to reinforce the importance of the safety control measures in place in school to minimise the risk of spread of infection are observed by all students.
377. Deputy Cian O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education if schools monitor carbon dioxide levels in classrooms; the advice that has been issued to schools on air purification and ventilation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39553/20]
View answerPractical steps for the deployment of good ventilation practices was provided to the school system in August in the context of re-opening for September 2020.
This guidance has recently been reviewed and was circulated to the education partners. The updated guidance has now been published.
In terms of good ventilation practices in schools it is important, particularly as we get further into winter that we achieve an appropriate balance between good ventilation and comfort.
The overall approach for schools should be to have windows open as fully as possible when classrooms are not in use (for example during break-times, lunch-times and at the end of each school day) and partially open when classrooms are in use to achieve appropriate air flow.
It is worth noting that windows do not need to be open as wide in windy/colder weather in order to achieve the same level of airflow into the classroom. This will assist in managing comfort levels in classrooms during periods of colder weather including those in prefabricated accommodation.
As part of managing comfort levels in classrooms, schools should check that their heating systems are set at the recommended manufacturers guidance levels to maximise the available heat to the school. In addition, heating should operate for extended periods during colder weather to counteract, as best as possible, the impact of windows being open (partially when classrooms in use and fully when not in use) in order to maintain an appropriate balance between ventilation and comfort levels.
My Department has reviewed the HPSC guidance that consideration be given to installing an indoor air quality monitor in classrooms. The purpose of a monitor in this context is to assist in determining when windows should be opened. It should be noted that an air monitor would not increase the air temperature in a classroom. As reflected in the updated guidance, my Department has concluded that windows are likely to be required to be open at a frequency outlined earlier to ensure appropriate levels of ventilation in the classroom irrespective of whether the opening of windows is prompted through the indoor air quality monitor (re-active approach) or through the pro-active approach outlined in the guidance. While this matter (and supporting data) will be kept under review, my Department does not consider it necessary for schools to install such monitors in classrooms, where the practical steps outlined in the update guidance are applied. However, it is a matter for individual schools to consider whether they wish to use some of their minor works grant funding for this purpose or alternatively schools may wish to use some of their minor works grant funding for provision of permanent background ventilation, where required.
378. Deputy Jennifer Whitmore asked the Minister for Education her views on the need for a new post-primary school building in an area (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39578/20]
View answerA new post-primary school (Galway City ETSS) was established in September 2019 in order to meet demographic needs of two adjoining school planning areas, namely Galway City and Oranmore. This school is currently operating in interim accommodation while my Department is sourcing a permanent accommodation solution. Work is ongoing in this regard. My Department is engaged in a site-identification exercise and is engaging with the local authority on the matter. My Department will engage with Galway City Council on the review of the City Development plan to ensure suitable sites are zoned to meet educational requirements within the area.
379. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education if her Department is considering the introduction of a universal secondary school application process for pupils in towns and cities in order to alleviate the issue of a pupil making multiple applications to numerous schools in their catchment areas; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39580/20]
View answerMy Department has no plans to set up universal application processes for post primary schools referred to by the Deputy. However in certain areas schools have independently established a shared application process. The question of enrolment in individual schools, are the responsibility of the school authorities and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. It is the responsibility of school authorities to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act 1998 and the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants.
My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places.
380. Deputy Paul McAuliffe asked the Minister for Education if she will review salaries of communication supports who are assigned to children in both primary and secondary school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39599/20]
View answerMy Department has allocated a post to a small number of schools who have students enrolled with significant hearing impairments as confirmed by professional reports. The post holder is required to have relevant professional qualifications. They are employed on similar terms and conditions to SNAs and there are no plans to review this matter at present. The purpose of these posts is to enable these students attend school and access the curriculum.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published the Comprehensive Review of the SNA Scheme on 30th May 2018 and the Government has noted the contents of the report. The report recommends that Irish Sign Language (ISL) qualified assistants should be put in place to support profoundly deaf students whose primary language is ISL and that this should be aligned to the requirements of the Irish Sign Language Act 2017. This recommendation is under consideration at present.
The commencement of Section 5 of the Irish Sign Language Act, 2017, will be implemented in the near future and it is anticipated that a scheme will be established to provide Irish Sign Language support for the children and young people attending recognised schools. It will take some time to introduce and implement this ISL scheme.
In the interim these posts are filled, on a case by case basis, through the NCSE to allocate an additional SNA post with appropriate ISL qualifications.
381. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Education the status of transport for a child (details supplied). [39697/20]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the 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 the Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.
In general, children with special educational needs are eligible for school transport if they are attending the nearest school that is resourced to meet their special educational needs. Eligibility is determined following consultation with the National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENO).
The child referred to by the Deputy is eligible for school transport under the terms of the above scheme and I am pleased to advise School Transport Section sanctioned a larger vehicle with Bus Éireann on 24th November 2020 for this service.
The School Principal has been notified of this sanction and will be contacted by the local Bus Éireann office with details of the service in due course.
382. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her Department will consider carrying out a feasibility study for a new secondary school in an area (details supplied) that would take into account the growing population and series of new housing developments in the area. [39700/20]
View answerIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, utilising data from a range of sources including information on planned and current residential development, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise. Laragh, Roundwood and Moneystown are situated in the Rathdrum school planning area.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each local authority to obtain the up-to-date data on significant new residential development in each area. My Department then makes an assessment of the existing capacity within the particular area and its ability to meet increased demand.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required at primary or post primary level, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may be provided through either one, or a combination of, the following:
- Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
- Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
- Provision of a new school or schools.
As the Deputy will be aware, since April 2018 the Government has announced plans for the establishment of 47 new schools over the four years 2019 to 2022 including two new post-primary schools to serve Wicklow:
- a new post-primary school established in 2019 to serve the Wicklow school planning area; and
- a new post-primary school established in 2020 to serve the Kilcoole & Greystones school planning areas as a regional solution.
The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review and work on an updated exercise to assess needs for the coming years, including those which may arise in the Rathdrum school planning area, is at an advanced stage.
In addition to ongoing demographic analyses, my Department continues to liaise with Wicklow County Council in respect of potential longer-term requirements for educational provision in all areas of Wicklow. My Department engages further on such matters with the Council through the review of the County Development Plan, preparation of Local Area Plans and other relevant statutory planning processes.
383. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the number of students in Ireland that sat the International Baccalaureate from 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39732/20]
View answerThe Department of Education has no role in the International Baccalaureate and therefore my Department is not in a position to supply the information requested by the Deputy.
384. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the number of students in Ireland that undertook French for the leaving certificate from 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39733/20]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission (SEC) has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
385. Deputy Neale Richmond asked the Minister for Education the number of students in Ireland that undertook a foreign language for the leaving certificate from 2015 to 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39734/20]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission (SEC) has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
386. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education the number of new special classes that will be established in secondary schools in the 2020-21 school year; and the number of these new classes that are ASD special classes. [39744/20]
View answerNationwide, there are 69 new special classes opened in secondary schools for the current school-year, of which 65 are ASD classes.
Additional classes may also be created in areas where there is an identified need between now and the end of the school year.
Next year, over 20% of the total Education budget or €2bn will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs.
This investment will support the provision of over 1,200 additional special class places.
387. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if her Department will increase the number of language units, given that there has been no resource increase since 2001; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [39757/20]
View answerMy Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD). This includes provision for the establishment of special classes for pupils with SSLD in primary schools.
A total of 63 SSLD special classes in mainstream primary schools have been provided for the 2020/2021 school year. This compares to 60 such special classes in 2011/12. In the period 2011 to 2020, the number of SSLD special classes has ranged from 60 - 65, depending on need.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including applications to establish special classes for SSLD. Applications meeting the criteria for establishment are approved by the NCSE.
The opening and retention of SSLD special classes is, however, contingent on the Health Service Executive (HSE) being in a position to provide speech and language therapy to the students in the class. The availability and provision of speech and language therapy is the responsibility of the HSE.
The enrolment of pupils in SSLD special classes is managed locally by an Admissions & Discharges Committee, comprising the Speech and Language Therapy Manager, Speech and Language Therapist, Class Teacher and Principal.
Students who are not enrolled in a special class for SSLD and who meet the SSLD criteria, as outlined in Circular 0038/2007, may qualify for additional Special Education Teaching support; as may students with mild speech and language difficulties. It is a matter for individual schools to use their professional judgement to identify pupils who will receive this support and to use the resources available to the school to intervene at the appropriate level with such students. My Department is not directly involved in these decisions.
As outlined in Circular 0038/2007, eligible pupils may spend up to two years in SSLD classes.
The NCSE is currently developing Policy Advice on Special Classes and Special Schools, which is now due to be completed by year end.
There will be no change to the criteria for enrolment in special classes for pupils with speech and language difficulties, pending the outcome of this Policy Advice.
