Written Answers Nos. 1084-1102
1084. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 281 of 20 January 2021, if a final decision has been made in relation to the emergency works appeal by a school (details supplied) following the unfortunate matter of being unable to decant to its new premises as expected in 2020; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20569/21]
View answerI would like to inform the Deputy that the school authority were asked to supply information in regards to their enhanced minor works grant, this information has not been received and a decision will be made on their appeal when it has been received.
1085. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if any of the post-primary schools to open in 2021 will be an Irish-medium school; and if not, her contingency plans to provide for the wishes of those parents who have stated a preference for Irish-medium education. [20651/21]
View answerFour new post-primary school are due to be established in September 2021.
As the Deputy may be aware a patronage process is run after it has been decided, based on demographic analysis, that a new school is required. The patronage process is open to all patron bodies and prospective patrons. It is open to all applicant patrons, where applicable, to propose provision of English or Irish-medium education. Applicant patrons proposing an English-medium school are also required to confirm their commitment to provide an Aonad where there is demand for it. An Online Patronage Process System (OPPS) provides objective information to parents in the relevant school planning areas to assist them in making an informed choice about their preferred model of patronage and also language of instruction for the new school. Parental preferences for each patron, together with the extent of Irish provision, if any, currently available in the area, are key in relation to the outcome of this process. The assessment process analyses existing Irish-medium provision in the area and also takes into account existing Irish-medium provision in the adjacent school planning areas. This assists the consideration in terms of whether a new post-primary school should take the form of a Gaelcholáiste (a post-primary where the language of instruction is Irish), an English-medium school or an English-medium school with an Aonad (Irish-medium Unit).
This process was followed in considering the language of instruction of the four new post-primary schools.
Following the patronage process, the outcome of which was announced in December 2020, in the case of all four schools, there were some parental preferences for Irish-medium education but none of these were considered to be at a level at which would indicate that a Gaelcholáiste should be established. Accordingly, the schools were announced to be English-medium schools.
In one area (Gorey school planning area), demand was low at less than 2%.
In two areas demand was considered relatively low. In the case of one of these schools, that to cater for the Dunshaughlin school planning area, the school patron is to give consideration to the establishment of an Irish-medium Unit (Aonad) when the new school is in its permanent location, if demand from parents indicate that this would be feasible. In the other area (Booterstown_Blackrock and Dún Laoghaire school planning areas) it was considered that the existing provision should be capable of absorbing the level of demand in the short term. Given the number of new Irish-medium gaelscoileanna which have been established in recent years or are due to be established, the Department is keeping the position under review as these schools grow.
Regarding the area where parental preferences as part of the OPPS was considered moderate (Ballincollig school planning area), the Department is satisfied that there is sufficient capacity, and the potential to expand capacity should demand require it, within the existing provision.
The patronage assessment reports, along with the Department's report to the New Schools Establishment Group (NSEG) and the NSEG report to the Minister are available on the Department's website www.education.ie
1086. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education the steps she will take to ensure children with special educational needs who received a recent change in diagnosis as in the case of a child (details supplied) resulting in the school of their choice being no longer suitable for their needs will not lose out on a place in a second-level special school in September 2021. [20671/21]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.
This year, over 20% of the total Education budget or €2bn will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, SNAs and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
The majority of special schools cater for students up to the age of 18. However, in the event that students are transitioning from a special school to a post-primary school, such enrolment applications are a matter for each individual board of management and the NCSE does not hold such records.
The NCSE, through its local network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers), is available to provide advice and support to parents of students that are due to transition to post-primary on the possible placement options available to their child, including mainstream placement with appropriate support, special class placement and special school placement. Post-primary placements are supported with additional resources where required.
The Deputy will be aware of the recent announcement whereby I have secured a significant expansion of special school provision in Cork through the establishment of a new special school and increased capacity in an existing special school to meet the needs of children in the Cork area.
The new provision will see the establishment of a new special school in Carrigaline which will have the capacity to provide 48 school places. It will provide for the needs of children with autism and general learning disability up to eighteen years of age.
The provision will also provide for a change to the designation of St. Mary’s Special School, Rochestown to cater for children with a dual diagnosis of learning disability and autism with 12 new school places becoming available for September 2021.
Priority will now be given to those children who currently do not have an offer of a school place for next September.
I can also confirm that the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) remains available to support this family regarding a suitable placement.
1087. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education the status of an application by a school (details supplied) for a change of status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20677/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no current record of receiving an application for change of status from the school in question.
It is open to the school to apply for a change of status once approval from the Patron has been received.
1088. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education the status of a building project for a school (details supplied); the timescale for the commencement of same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20685/21]
View answerThe school referred to by the deputy has been devolved for delivery to Louth County Council.
The process of preparation of tender documentation for the project is effectively completed. However, there are some issues, including a design issue, that have recently arisen in respect of this project and which need to be considered before the tendering process itself can begin.
At this stage of the project, it is not possible to provide a timeline for completion.
1089. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education the progress made on an application by a school (details supplied) for change of status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20709/21]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application for change of statusfrom the school in question which is under assessment. This assessment includes information provided by the Bishop. The Department in considering such applications must assess the implications, if any, of changing the status of a school(s) in the context of how this change may impact the viability of other schools in the area and must also consider any associated capital implications that may be warranted as a result of such a change. Discussions between the Department and the Patron are ongoing and will be concluded as quickly as possible.
1090. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education the efforts her Department is making to achieve gender balance on all State boards and agencies under the remit of her Department; if she will set out the changes achieved to date on each; if 50% of the membership of all boards, policy groups or agencies that provide advice to Government on matters of policy will be reserved for appropriately qualified individuals from the private sector in order to achieve a balance between the public and private sectors; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20722/21]
View answerIn consideration of approaches to the filling of board posts for bodies under the aegis of my Department, my obligations are informed by guidance notes issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, guidance which includes the 2014 Guidelines on Appointments to State boards, the 2016 Code of Practice for the Governance of State bodies, and also the 2020 publication by D/PER of an Annex on Gender Balance, Diversity and Inclusion to the Code of Practice (https://www.gov.ie/en/circular/ceb75-142020-code-of-practice-for-the-governance-of-state-bodies/). This suite of guidelines codify the process for filling vacancies on State Boards for bodies under the aegis of my Department. In addition to the consideration which must be given to the obligations laid down in the guidance notes, consideration also has to be given to relevant legislative underpinning of the aegis bodies as appointments made by me as Minister, are not in all cases made at my discretion.
Appointments to state boards are typically made via the Public Appointments Service (PAS) who manage this process. Applications are made through the dedicated website www.stateboards.ie with this website being the channel used by PAS to both inform the public of vacancies and to collate expressions of interest in vacancies.
Members of the public interested in service on a state board may register with PAS via www.publicjobs.ie and receive alerts when state board vacancies are advertised. In regard to vacancies, PAS routinely stipulate the skill set required for service on individual boards in specific information booklets. An assessment process is undertaken by PAS leading to the creation of a list of candidates suitable for appointments to Boards.
Additionally, subsequent to the publication of the 2020 Annex and effective from the 2020 Annual Report’s obligation, there is new requirement on Chairpersons of boards of bodies to include in the annual Chairperson's comprehensive report to the Minister, details of the progress by the body in addressing gender equality, diversity and inclusion.
Since 1992, it has been an ongoing Government commitment that each State Board should consist of 40% representation from each gender. An enhanced 45% gender balance target was set by Government decision in July 2014 for those boards who had already achieved 40% representation from each gender. In this regard, the former Department of Education and Skills reported annually on the gender composition on the boards of over 40 bodies that were, until the establishment of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS), under its remit. These included departmental aegis bodies, appeals boards and cultural and higher education organisations and institutes.
A consolidated report was furnished by my Department to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth (DCEDIY) in respect of the period 2 December 2019 to 31 August 2020. The report included data on 42 bodies including 30 of whom are now under the remit of DFHERIS. Of the 42 bodies, 27 boards (64.29%) were meeting the 40% target and 14 boards were meeting the enhanced target of 45% of each gender. Overall at that time, 46.74% of the membership of those boards were female and 53.26% were male. In relation to the 15 boards not reaching the 40% target last year, 6 boards had fewer than 40% male representation and 9 had fewer than 40% female representation.
In December 2019, reporting on behalf of the same cohort of bodies, the former Department of Education and Skills, reported that out of a total of 46 boards, 28 boards (60.9%) were meeting the 40% target and 12 boards were meeting the enhanced target of 45% of each gender. Overall that year, 45.9% of the membership of those boards were women and 54.1% were men.
In December 2018, reporting on the same cohort, the former Department of Education and Skills, reported that out of a total of 48 boards, 27 boards (56.3%) were meeting the 40% target and 13 boards were meeting the enhanced target of 45% of each gender. Overall that year, 42.7% of the membership of those boards were women and 57.3% were men.
My Department will continue the engagement with the bodies under its remit to ensure appropriate consideration is given to gender balance in the composition of State boards.
1091. Deputy Joe Flaherty asked the Minister for Education if arrangements will be made to facilitate a child (details supplied) in relation to their application for enrolment in a special educational unit. [20738/21]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.
This year, over 20% of the total Education budget or €2bn will be invested in supporting children with special educational needs. As a result, the numbers of special education teachers, SNAs and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
I understand that the NCSE is aware of the case referenced by the Deputy and, through the local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO), remains available to support both the family and the school concerned regarding a suitable placement.
1092. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education the reason the new curricular subject requirements which will be in effect from 1 January 2023 downgrade the importance of Irish history by removing the requirement that history teachers should have passed Irish history modules in university equivalent to at least a quarter of their history credits. [20756/21]
View answerI wish to advise the Deputy that the Teaching Council initiated a review of its post-primary curricular subject requirements in 2018 in the context of a range of factors including ongoing developments in the continuum of teacher education, teacher supply issues and Junior Cycle reform.
Following a wide-ranging and comprehensive consultation process conducted with stakeholders between 2018 and 2019, the revised requirements were published in November 2020. Whilst maintaining standards, these revised requirements enhance access to the register for suitably qualified individuals and bring parity of esteem across all subjects.
In relation to the subject of History, the requirements provide that applicants must hold a degree level qualification with History studied up to and including third year level; the study of Irish History is required and the studies must show that the holder has acquired sufficient knowledge, skills and understanding to teach the History syllabus/specification to the highest level in post-primary education. The removal of specific ECTs requirements in the revision of the curricular subject requirements provides flexibilities whilst maintaining and safeguarding standards.
1093. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if she will review tendering for school bus routes in wake of the outcome of an investigation (details supplied); the action being taken to ensure fair tendering in related routes in which concerns have been previously flagged; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20794/21]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
Bus Éireann plans and manages the countrywide network on behalf of the Department to ensure that services are provided in line with the specific requirements of the Department. Bus Éireann is obliged to tender all works, goods and services to be provided by external suppliers in line with national and EU procurement legislation and this includes services provided by contractors under the School Transport Scheme. In fulfilling its mandate, and included in the functions discharged by Bus Éireann and its network of regional offices, Bus Éireann is responsible for contracting private operators in line with procurement legislation.
Bus Éireann carries out tender competitions on a regular basis for the award of contracts for the provision of school transport services under the School Transport Scheme in accordance with procurement legislation. The operator concerned has been awarded contracts for the provision of school transport services pursuant to such tender competitions.
1094. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education the progress to date in increasing school bus capacity due to the additional seating requirements arising from Covid-19; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20831/21]
View answerSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
The Department has and continues to engage with Bus Éireann in regard to the logistics for the safe operation of School Transport Scheme services for the 2020/2021 school year. The Department has also been engaging with Bus Éireann on the logistics involved with the rolling implementation of measures on post-primary services as required to provide physical distancing for usage at 50% capacity.
Government has agreed to provide the necessary funding to ensure that full implementation of the public health recommendation of running buses for post-primary children is achieved as quickly as possible on the post-primary scheme and on the special educational needs scheme for post-primary children. To date circa 96.2% of total post-primary routes are in a position to operate at 50% capacity, comprising 95.3% of SEN post-primary and 96.7% of mainstream post-primary.
1096. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if music teachers who facilitated the music practical examinations for the leaving certificate 2021 will be able to avail of the examinations aide rate of payment and will be remunerated for their work. [20860/21]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission 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.
1097. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the lack of data recording the number of instances and reasons leading to students having to repeat oral examinations for the leaving certificate 2021; if she considers this an oversight by the State Examinations Commission; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20861/21]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission 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.
1098. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Social Protection her engagement with the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment in respect of the ways in which the issue of youth unemployment is being addressed; her plans to reduce the levels of youth unemployment here; and if her Department offers support and or assistance to business regarding mitigating youth unemployment (details supplied). [20785/21]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, the experience of past recessions indicates that youth employment tends to be significantly impacted by any labour market shock. This is because many employers operate a "last in-first out" protocol when reducing their labour force. Moreover, in the case of the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact on our youth is driven by the tendency for many younger people to work in some of the sectors most severely impacted by the pandemic; namely accommodation and food and retail.
Prior to the pandemic, seasonally adjusted youth unemployment (15-24 year olds) stood at just over 11 percent in December 2019. Latest estimates from the CSO however, show that by the end of March 2021, this figure had increased to almost 15 percent. This measure excludes those in receipt of the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP). Including all those in receipt of the PUP gives a COVID-19 adjusted unemployment rate estimate 59.2 percent for young people at the end of March 2021.
It is important to note that there are a significant number of PUP recipients who are students. As of end-March 2021, 47,000 PUP recipients have self certified as students, with almost 90 percent of these in the under 25 cohort.
Using international measures of unemployment, set by the International Labour Organisation, students are generally not counted as unemployed, as they are not considered part of the labour force. Therefore, the inclusion of recipients of PUP, including students, in the COVID-19 Adjusted measure of youth unemployment inflates this measure of unemployment.
While the employment of young people is significantly affected by the pandemic, we also know from past recessions that youth unemployment levels typically fall quite quickly once economic activity resumes. In addition, the jobs of many persons currently on PUP will not be permanently lost due to the pandemic. Many will return to previous employment once restrictions ease, as they did during previous easing of restrictions during 2020.
My Department engages on a regular basis with the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment through a number of fora that address a range of labour market issues, including youth unemployment. These include the Labour Market Surveillance Group (LMSG), which was initially established to promote labour market intelligence sharing and collaboration in preparing for Brexit. Since the onset of the pandemic this group has expanded its remit to include the monitoring of the impacts of the pandemic on workers and employers. The LMSG, whose membership is drawn from across various Government Departments and State Agencies, including the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment meets regularly to share labour market intelligence, discuss the latest policy developments and ensure co-ordinated responses at both national and regional levels.
The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment also forms part of the membership of the Labour Market Advisory Council on an ex-officio basis. The Advisory Council is comprised of leading labour market experts, representatives of industry, workers and unemployed people. The Advisory Council was convened in 2019 to provide advice to Government on employment and labour market issues.
In addition, in order to continue to strengthen and support the links between Intreo and the Further Education and Training (FET) sector, a High-Level Group has been established to engage on coordinated approaches to support jobseekers. This group includes membership from my Department, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, SOLAS, the Higher Education Authority, Skillnet Ireland and the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth.
While many young people will be able to return to work once restrictions ease, others will require assistance and support to return to employment, reskill and to find new jobs. My Department is supporting initiatives to assist people, including young people, get back to work, once COVID-19 restrictions and their impact on the economy and labour market begin to ease.
Under the July Jobs Stimulus, my Department, along with the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, are putting in place the following measures:
- Expanding the benefit of the JobsPlus recruitment subsidy to employers who hire young people. Under this scheme an employer receives the JobsPlus subsidy of €7,500 once they employ a young person (under 30 years of age) who has been unemployed for just 4 months. A higher subsidy of €10,000 is paid for recruitment of a person who was long term unemployed (over 12 months). The expansion of this scheme thus helps make it more attractive for businesses to recruit young people who face difficulties in securing a footing in employment.
- Providing access to additional full-time and part-time education, including targeted short-term courses, with over 35,000 new education and training places for those currently unemployed.
- Providing incentives to employers to take on more apprentices, with the provision of a grant of €3,000 to employers for each new apprentice recruited.
- Facilitating access to the Back to Education Allowance and Back to Work Enterprise Allowance to those displaced by the pandemic and in receipt of the PUP, by waiving the usual qualifying period of 3-9 months.
My Department is at an advanced stage in developing a new Work Placement Experience Programme for those out of work for at least six months, regardless of age. This programme will seek to encourage businesses provide jobseekers with the necessary workplace skills to compete in the labour market and to help break the vicious circle of “no job without experience, no experience without a job”. I expect to launch the Programme as soon as public health restrictions allow in 2021.
With regard to apprenticeships, the Action Plan for Apprenticeship 2021-2025 was launched this week by my colleague, Minister Harris. The Action Plan sets out a five-year strategy to deliver on the Programme for Government commitment of reaching 10,000 new apprentice registrations per year by 2025. The plan provides a roadmap to a single apprenticeship system and new supports for employers and apprentices, which will prove attractive for many young people.
All of these efforts to support young people back into employment will be bolstered further by Pathways to Work 2021-2025, which is currently being finalised by my Department. Pathways to Work, is the Government’s national employment services strategy. It will set out how an expanded Public Employment Service will utilise its existing and expanded capacity to deliver effective services in a post-COVID labour market. This whole-of-Government strategy will seek to build upon those support measures outlined above as we assist young people on their journey to work. Publication is expected following the launch of Government's National Economic Recovery Plan.
I trust this clarifies matters for the Deputy.
1099. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person is eligible to apply for the pandemic unemployment payment if their employment ceases at the end of the casual employment season in fish processing factories; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18165/21]
View answer1123. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection her views and advice on a matter (details supplied) in relation to seasonal workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18702/21]
View answer1139. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection her views regarding the tourism industry (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19126/21]
View answer1165. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will address a matter (details supplied) in relation to bus drivers who are seasonal workers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19739/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1099, 1123, 1139 and 1165 together.
The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) is established as a statutory scheme since 5th August 2020 and is available to support employees and self-employed who have lost their employment as a direct consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic.
Under the statutory conditions of the scheme, recipients must either be an employed contributor or in insurable self-employment in the week immediately before being impacted by the pandemic. A person must have a least one qualifying contribution in the previous 4 week period immediately before claiming PUP or be a self-employed contributor. A person who has not yet commenced employment, seasonal or otherwise, is not eligible for PUP as they do not satisfy the requirement that they were previously in employment. Similarly, the requirements in place from March to August 2020 required that the recipient was in employment prior to receiving PUP. Supports under the jobseekers schemes may be available to people affected in these circumstances.
A person in casual employment in a fish processing factory would not be eligible to receive PUP if that employment was due to cease at the end of the fishing season rather than as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic. In line with normal arrangements, people in this situation may be entitled to supports under the jobseeker payments.
Jobseeker's Benefit is a social insurance income support payment based on a persons PRSI contribution record. Where an individual does not have entitlement under Jobseeker’s Benefit, they may qualify for a means tested Jobseeker’s Allowance payment. A person is advised to engage with their local Intreo centre to assess the supports available to them.
I trust that this clarifies the position for the Deputies.
1100. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will consider extending the fuel allowance payment beyond April (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18201/21]
View answer1131. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will approve the extension of the fuel allowance for an additional four weeks in view of the costs incurred by persons in earlier spells of extremely cold weather and the additional time spent at home resulting in higher fuel costs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18896/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 1100 and 1131 together.
The Fuel Allowance is a payment of €28.00 per week for 28 weeks (a total of €784 each year) from October to April, to over 372,000 low income households, at an estimated cost of €300 million in 2021. The purpose of this payment is to assist these households with their energy costs. The allowance represents a contribution towards the energy costs of a household. It is not intended to meet those costs in full. Only one allowance is paid per household.
The Fuel Allowance is an important measure that assists pensioners and other welfare dependent householders to address income deficiency, especially during the winter when a household faces increased heating needs. The duration of the scheme is designed to coincide with the coldest periods of the year and it is for this reason the scheme runs from October to mid-April. Any proposal to change this could only be considered while taking account of overall Government policy and in the budgetary context.
In Budget 2021, the Government targeted one third of carbon tax revenues to go towards boosting the incomes of the poorest in our society. Based on ESRI research, three key DSP payments were targeted for increases in the budget as a result - the Fuel Allowance, the Qualified Child Allowance and the Living Alone Allowance. From January 2021, the Fuel Allowance was increased by €3.50 per week to €28 for a period of 28 weeks, while the increase in carbon tax on solid fuels will not take effect until May 2021. This ensured that recipients benefitted from the increased payment over the winter period.
In the context of the COVID-19 emergency, the Government has already allocated c. €11.5 billion in a package of social protection measures to assist people impacted by COVID-19. This demonstrates the Government’s firm commitment to provide effective targeted supports during the Covid-19 Pandemic. The Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has supported over 850,000 people at a cost of over €6.4 billion. The PUP scheme will remain open until 30th June 2021 and will continue to be kept under review. Future decisions by Government will be informed by the trajectory of the pandemic and the evolving public health situation.
The Temporary Wage Subsidy Scheme/Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme was also put in place. During its lifetime, just under 650,000 workers employed by just under 70,000 employers were supported by the TWSS to the value of just over €2.7 billion. The TWSS was itself refined and replaced by the Employment Wage Subsidy Scheme (EWSS) from 1 September. Since then, the EWSS has supported just under 550,000 workers employed by just under 50,000 employers to a value of €2.3 billion. Almost 142,000 people have been medically certified for receipt of the Enhanced Illness Benefit with approximately €88 million paid through this income support.
In addition to core income supports, the Department put in place a range of other targeted measures during the initial stages of pandemic, including:
- special arrangements for the Rent Supplement Scheme, and in particular, enhanced access arrangements for victims of domestic violence.
- an Enterprise Support Grant for Small Businesses; special support arrangements for self-employed people.
- funding was continued to the School Meals Programme during periods of school closures under Level 5 restrictions.
- changes to Redundancy schemes to extend the period of time that people can be laid-off without automatically triggering redundancy terms.
- arrangements for parents to register electronically the birth of their new-born babies.
Finally, under the Supplementary Welfare Allowance scheme, Exceptional Needs Payments may be made to help meet an essential, once-off cost which customers are unable to meet out of their own resources, and this may include exceptional heating costs. Decisions on such payments are made on a case-by-case basis.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1101. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Social Protection the reason a school (details supplied) was omitted from the hot meals scheme; if the application by the school for same will be reconsidered given the socioeconomic profile of its pupils; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18207/21]
View answerThe school meals programme provides funding towards the provision of food to some 1,557 schools and organisations benefitting 227,000 children. The objective of the programme is to provide regular, nutritious food to children who are unable, due to lack of good quality food, to take full advantage of the education provided to them. The programme is an important component of policies to encourage school attendance and extra educational achievement.
As part of Budget 2019, funding was provided for a pilot scheme from September 2019, providing hot school meals in primary schools at a cost of €1m for 2019 and €2.5m in 2020. The pilot involved 37 schools benefitting 6,744 students for the 2019/2020 academic year and was aimed primarily at schools with no onsite cooking facilities.
In Budget 2021, I announced that an additional €5.5m would be provided to extend the provision of hot school meals to an additional 35,000 primary school children, currently receiving the cold lunch option. Officials from the department issued invitations for expressions of interest to 705 primary schools (612 DEIS and 93 non-DEIS) in November 2020. A total of 281 (256 DEIS and 25 non-DEIS) expressions of interest were received in respect of 52,148 children.
The 35,000 places were allocated to each local authority area based on the number of children applied by local authority as a percentage of the total number. A minimum of one School for each Local Authority area was selected. Thereafter, a process of random selection was used for each area.
As a result of this process, 189 of the 281 schools that submitted an expression of interest were selected, including 4 schools in County Clare, and the 596 children attending these schools will be entitled to receive hot school meals. Of the 189 schools selected, 171 (90.5%) are DEIS and 18 (9.5%) are non-DEIS.
Unfortunately, Scoil Chríost Rí, Ennis was not selected and I appreciate that this is disappointing for the school. Any further extension of the provision of hot meals to additional schools can only be considered in a budgetary context.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
1102. Deputy Willie O'Dea asked the Minister for Social Protection her views on whether credit unions and other financial institutions should be allowed the option of accepting the public services card as one of a number of possible identification documents when opening an account; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18217/21]
View answerSince 1998, when legislative provision was first made for the PSC, it was always intended that it would be used widely across the public service to assist people in their dealings with public sector bodies. The list of public bodies that are authorised to use the PSC is set out in Schedule 5 of the Social Welfare Consolidation Act 2005 (as amended).
That Act also provides that is an offence for any body, other than a body specified in Schedule 5, to request or accept a PSC as proof of identity.
Credit unions and other financial institutions are not specified bodies for the purposes of the PSC, so it is not possible for a person to offer their PSC as proof of identity for this purpose.
There are no plans to amend legislation to allow for the use of the PSC by non-public sector bodies.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
