Written Answers Nos. 302-321
302. Deputy Catherine Connolly asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 406 of 10 November 2020, if the same conditions are applied to the granting of permits for overflights by US military aircraft and military aircraft from all other countries; if not, the reason; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43369/20]
View answerA number of countries have applied for and been granted annual blanket clearance for military overflights and landings in Ireland. Under these arrangements, the Embassy of the country concerned submits a notification of each proposed flight to my Department. My Department then notifies relevant Departments and Agencies.
Specific arrangements for US overflights were established in 1959. Overflights of US military aircraft are permitted without prior notification, on the basis that the aircraft are unarmed, carry only cargo and passengers and comply with navigational requirements. The US Embassy provides my Department with post hoc monthly returns on the total number of these overflights and the types of aircraft involved.
If a proposed military overflight does not meet these criteria, blanket clearance does not apply and advance permission must be sought. Furthermore these arrangements apply only to overflights by unarmed US military aircraft. They do not apply to landings.
303. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Defence if a club (details supplied) will be permitted to use the GAA grounds in Cathal Brugha Barracks, Rathmines, Dublin 6; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42918/20]
View answerI am pleased to inform the Deputy that the club referred to has been contacted by my Department to advise that it is now processing requests for third party use of outdoor facilities for 2021.
HSE guidelines on COVID-19 will need to be strictly adhered to. My Department will continue to consider access in line with the COVID-19 levels in place under the Government Recovery and Resilience Plan.
304. Deputy Violet-Anne Wynne asked the Minister for Defence if a new recruitment campaign for the military police will start early in 2021. [43088/20]
View answerOverall Permanent Defence Force (PDF) recruitment plans for 2021 have not yet been finalised and will be informed by a review of the 2020 campaign taking the COVID situation into account.
There is currently no separate recruitment stream for members of the Military Police and vacant positions are filled by serving members of the Permanent Defence Force.
305. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Defence the establishment, strength and vacancies of the Permanent Defence Forces in the Army, Air Corps and Naval Service in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43120/20]
View answerThe table below provides the details requested by the Deputy, as at 31st October 2020.
|
Branch |
Establishment |
Strength (WTE) |
Vacancies |
|
Army |
7,520 |
6,943 |
577 |
|
Air Corps |
886 |
747 |
139 |
|
Naval Service |
1,094 |
887 |
207 |
|
Total |
9,500 |
8,577 |
923 |
The Government remains committed to restoring the strength of the Permanent Defence Force to 9,500 personnel as set out in the White Paper on Defence (2015) and, in that context, recruitment is ongoing.
306. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Defence the number of promotional positions waiting to be filled throughout the Defence Forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43121/20]
View answerThe table below outlines the number of vacancies that exist in the PDF as at 31st October 2020. Vacancies are filled on an ongoing basis in line with promotional arrangements and, in certain cases, direct entry competitions.
It is normal, at a particular point in time, for some ranks to be oversubscribed and others to be undersubscribed. For example, whilst there are vacancies at the rank of Captain there are currently substantially more Lieutenants than are provided for in the establishment.
|
- |
Vacancies as at 31/10/2020 |
|
Rank |
Vacancies |
|
Comdt |
9 |
|
Capt |
106 |
|
Sgt Maj |
2 |
|
CS |
9 |
|
CQMS |
2 |
|
Sgt |
271 |
|
Cpl |
347 |
307. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the position with regard to the proposed commission on defence; when the commission will commence; if the commission members have been selected; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43288/20]
View answer308. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence the number of submissions received by his Department in relation to the forthcoming commission on defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43289/20]
View answer309. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Defence if the terms of reference of the proposed commission on the Defence Forces will include a review of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43290/20]
View answer314. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence the number of submissions received in regard to the terms of reference for the commission on defence; the submissions that called for a review of his Department and a review of the Ministers and Secretaries Act 1924 and for both to be included in the terms of reference of the future commission on defence; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43571/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 307 to 309, inclusive, and 314 together.
In accordance withn a commitment made in the Programme for Government, I wish to confirm that Government approval was granted today to establish an independent Commission on the Defence Forces. The Commission, which is due to commence its work before the end of this year, has been given a mandate to report within 12 months.
A Press Release providing details of the Commission's Terms of Reference and membership has issued on my Department's website.
I can confirm that 18 submissions were received in response to a consultation process that I initiated on the Terms of Reference, which involved a wide stakeholder group. These submissions, which included a broad range of views on matters which the Commission should be tasked, were carefully considered in the drafting the Commission's Terms of Reference.
310. Deputy Patricia Ryan asked the Minister for Defence when the Defence Forces built infrastructure plan will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43344/20]
View answerI am pleased to advise the Deputy that the Defence Forces Built Infrastructural Programme 2020-2025 was published in January 2020.
This Programme, which is a 5 year plan, provides a blueprint for investment in the Defence Forces built infrastructure over a multi annual timeframe. Over the course of the programme it is projected that some €145m will be allocated to ensure programme delivery.
311. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Defence the number of fatalities suffered by the Defence Forces on duty with UNIFIL; and the identity of the cause of death by military grouping including Israeli forces and Hezbollah, in tabular form. [43432/20]
View answerA total of forty six Irish personnel have died while on service in UNIFIL since the initial deployment to Lebanon in 1978.
There were a number of causes of death. Some were killed while on duty, others died as a result of being involved in traffic accidents or other accidents, some died due to natural causes and one person is missing presumed dead.
Information in relation to the military force or grouping who may have been responsible for Defence Forces fatalities overseas is not released for operational reasons.
In total, 87 personnel have lost their lives while on peacekeeping duty overseas in various missions. These individuals paid the ultimate price in support of peace. As Minister for Defence, I can assure you that all are remembered with respect and honour by my Department and the Defence Forces.
312. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Defence the breakdown of Army and Naval Service personnel deaths, accidental and non-accidental, while in service for the past 20 years to date, by categories. [43532/20]
View answerThe total deaths in service for the Army and Naval Service for the past 20 years as of 31 October is 204 and 16 respectively.
The military authorities have advised that the definitive reasons for cause of death were not recorded in every case. I have asked the military authorities to further examine your request and I will revert to the Deputy with a reply as soon as possible.
313. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Defence when the last review of his Department took place; the conclusions derived from the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43570/20]
View answerMy Department has a programme of ongoing review through its business planning process and its engagement with me on the priorities for the Defence Organisation.
The Department has been engaged in a wide range of review and reform both internally and as part of the wider public sector reform process. My Department was to the forefront of adoption of the provision of shared transactional HR and payroll services. It is currently participating in the programme to deliver shared financial services across the civil service. It is also fully engaged with the process of Civil Service Reform and and wider public service reform as part of the Our Public Service 2020(OPS 2020) programme. My Department has led Action 10 of OPS 2020 to embed project and programme management across the public service.
The organisational structure of my Department was considered in 2017 and the divisional structure altered to address priority areas including matters of Defence Forces HR policy. My Department also undertook an internal change management programme, commenced in December 2017, addressing structures, people and communications.
My Department's expenditure is also subject of ongoing engagement with the programme of expenditure reviews. Expenditure reviews provide an examination of all areas of public expenditure by Government Departments in a process led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The review process examines how well programmes are working, how expenditure is being managed, the challenges and pressures that are likely to arise in the medium term, and reforms to be carried out to manage these pressures.
A review of Civil Defence expenditure was carried out as part of the 2019 programme and expenditure on Peace Support Missions formed part of the 2020 programme of reviews. Each of these reviews has individual findings and next steps outlined in reports which are available on the website of the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service, www.igees.gov.ie .
315. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Education her views on the current increased level of vehicular traffic bringing children to school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43110/20]
View answer334. Deputy Joe McHugh asked the Minister for Education the cost of putting on extra school buses in response to Covid-19; if she will consider keeping the extra buses allocated in order to deal with the extra demand for services which takes place each September; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43099/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 315 and 334 together.
School 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
Following updated health advice from NPHET on 18th August, which was that post-primary services are required to operate using 50% of passenger capacity, Government has agreed to provide the necessary funding to ensure that full implementation of this public health recommendation is achieved as quickly as possible on all post-primary services. Based on the analysis conducted by Bus Éireann, which were based on a full academic year, the estimated costs ranged between an estimated €87m to €135m taking into account a range of rates and a range of potential solutions from re-organising or upgrading existing services to the requirement to go to the market to source all additional vehicles required.
In relation to the level of vehicular traffic bringing children to school, a review of the school transport scheme has been anounced 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.
Due to 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 as they relate to school transport, including examining the options to reduce car journeys and assessing how the School Transport Scheme can work in liaison with the Safe Routes to Schools Programme; and examining the options for providing a better value and a better service for students, including and examining issues such as the nearest or next-nearest school.
316. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a Covid-19 outbreak at a school (details supplied); the rationale behind the existing protocols in such circumstances given the multiple cases associated with this outbreak; and if a change in these protocols is envisaged. [43449/20]
View answer318. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education her views on a matter raised in correspondence by a person (details supplied) regarding the issues in relation to the sharing of information with a school principal when a child attending the school tests positive for Covid-19. [42860/20]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 316 and 318 together.
Public health specialists working with schools and my Department are closely monitoring the situation in all schools to ensure that where schools are open with appropriate infection prevention and control measures, there is no additional threat to public health. To date the evidence demonstrates that schools are operating safely supported by significant investment to support all infection prevention and control measures recommended by the public health authorities.
The low numbers are a tribute to the strong adherence by schools to the public health recommendations for safely reopening schools. The testing and positivity rates in schools for close contacts also reflect the current international position that schools are not key drivers of Covid-19 in the community.
In terms of what happens when a child attending school tests positive, the HSE will inform the school principal if the child was in the school in the infectious period regardless of parental consent. In these circumstances the HSE will conduct a Public Health Risk Assessment with the school principal. This is usually undertaken the same day they are notified, but it may be the following day.
Public Health will work with the school principal to identify the close contacts and all close contact will be informed and scheduled for testing and asked to restrict their movements. Parent/guardians will be informed if their child is a close contact.
The wider school community can be informed that the school is working with public health who are guiding the school through the actions they need to take to protect staff, pupils and the school community. It is important to note that the response to confirmed cases or outbreaks of Covid-19 in the community or in a school is the responsibility of, and will be led and managed by, Public Health HSE. All decisions as to appropriate actions following a confirmed case or outbreak will be made by their teams in the context of a full Public Health Risk Assessment procedure.
Schools are working hard to implement the public health advice which is proving to be effective in keeping transmission levels in schools so low. All recommendations are being kept under review by consultants / specialists in Public Health as we continue to deal with the ongoing pandemic.
317. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education when the ASD class at a school (details supplied) will be established; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43477/20]
View answerIt is open to any school to make an application to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for the establishment of specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
In considering such applications, the NSCE may liaise with the relevant section of my Department regarding the availability of suitable accommodation in the school. However, my Department is not involved in adjudicating on the applications received by the NCSE from schools.
Accordingly, the question is being referred to the NCSE for direct reply to the Deputy.
319. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education when approved funding for assistive technology for a student (details supplied) will be made available. [42862/20]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that 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. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in making recommendations for support, which is set out in my Department's Circular 0010/2013. In order to qualify for equipment under the assistive technology scheme, a child must have been diagnosed with a physical or communicative disability and must also have a recommendation in a professional assessment that the equipment is essential in order to allow the child to access the curriculum. It must also be clear that the existing I.T. equipment in the school is insufficient to meet the child's needs. I can advise the Deputy that an application for assistive technology support for the child referred to in his question has been received by my Department and that an e mail issued to the school on 9th December confirming the level of grant support available.
320. Deputy Paul Murphy asked the Minister for Education the sanctions in place for schools that fail to meet the legal requirement to include in their admission policies detailed arrangements for those not attending religious instruction. [42887/20]
View answerIn relation to school admissions, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Acts, 1998-2018.
On 14th January 2020 a number of sections of the Admission to Schools act were commenced introducing new laws around admission to schools which became operational on 1 February 2020. These provisions including the requirement for schools to set out arrangements for students that do not wish to attend religious instruction, apply to the admission processes for the 2021/2022 school year onwards. Circular 7/2020, (Commencement of Certain Sections of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018) requires each school authority to familiarise themselves with the requirements of the act and to have in place the necessary policy, procedures and practices to ensure compliance with it.
Under the provisions of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018, all schools are required to have drafted new admissions policies, which have been approved by the patron, following consultation with staff and parents of children who are attending the school. The newly revised school’s admissions policy is published on the schools website.
The manner in which any school ensures that the right to opt out of religion classes is upheld is a matter for the school concerned. Each individual school must determine the particular arrangements which are most appropriate in its individual circumstances having regard to local issues such as available space, supervision requirements and how the school concerned organises classes etc.
321. Deputy Joe O'Brien asked the Minister for Education the status of efforts to secure a permanent site for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [42934/20]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the building project for the school in question is included in my Department's capital programme.
The acquisition of the permanent site for Malahide Portmarnock ETNS is at a very advanced stage of conveyancing. Once all contractual matters have been finalised the site will be assessed for Architectural Planning.
While a site acquisition process is underway, given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally I am not in a position to comment further at this time.
