Written Answers Nos. 142-161
142. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education the provisions that have been commenced in relation to the Education Act 2018, specifically, the aims to make the rules around admissions to schools more structured, fair and transparent; the provisions yet to be commenced; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51607/21]
View answerThe Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 was signed into law on the 18th July 2018. The overall objective of the Act is to provide a new framework for school enrolment that is designed to ensure that every child is treated fairly and that the way in which schools decide on applications for admission is structured, fair and transparent.
The following provisions have been commenced and are now operational;
- Sec 62 requiring schools that are not oversubscribed to admit all students who have applied for a place.
- Amendment of the Equal Status Act 2000 which removed, in the case of recognised denominational primary schools, the previous provision that permited such schools to use religion as a selection criterion in school admissions.
- Waiting lists are banned, thus ensuring that parents who move in to a new area are not disadvantaged.
- All schools must publish their admissions policies, including details of their selection criteria.
- All schools must publish an annual admissions notice, detailing the dates the applications process takes place, including details of offers made the previous year if the school was oversubscribed.
- Charging of fees or seeking payment or contributions for an application for admission to a school or for the enrolment or continued enrolment of a student in a school are prohibited.
- Section 8 setting out the steps requiring a school to open a special class or classes where the National Council for Special Education has identified a need for such provision within an area.
The remaining sections of the Act to be commenced require further consultation and procedures to be drafted and this process is ongoing.
143. Deputy Ruairí Ó Murchú asked the Minister for Education the number of schools that currently comply with the Education Act 2018 and the aims to make the rules around admissions to schools more structured, fair and transparent by county in tabular form; and the number of schools yet to comply with these rules. [51608/21]
View answerAll recognised schools are required to comply fully with the act. The overall objective of the Act is to provide a framework for school enrolment that is designed to ensure that every child is treated fairly and that the way in which schools decide on applications for admission is structured, fair and transparent. The new arrangement also involve new appeal procedures for applicants where they were unsuccessful in gaining a place in a particular school.
My Department does not compile the information requested by the Deputy.
144. Deputy Richard O'Donoghue asked the Minister for Education if discussions are expected in the near future to give clarity as to the structure leaving certificate students will be encountering in 2022 (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51646/21]
View answerI am conscious that student who are due to take their Leaving Certificate examinations in 2022 have experienced a degree of disruption to their learning.
My Department co-chairs an Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations in conjunction with the State Examinations Commission. The group was originally established to consider contingency arrangements for the 2020 Leaving Certificate and was reconstituted for the purposes of planning for the 2021 Leaving Certificate. The group includes representatives of students, parents, teachers, school leadership and management bodies, the State Examinations Commission (SEC), the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science and the Department of Education, including the National Educational Psychological Service.
In meetings held in April and May of this year, this group discussed the Leaving Certificate 2022 examinations.
On 30 June, the Advisory Group on Planning for State Examinations received an update in relation to the 2022 Leaving Certificate and Junior Cycle examinations.
Following this meeting, I announced that adjustments would be made to the 2022 examinations which are similar to those published in December 2020 in respect of Leaving Certificate 2021.
The adjustments are outlined in the document ’Assessment Arrangements for Junior and Leaving Certificate 2022’, which is available on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate.
These adjustments will leave intact the familiar overall structure of the examinations, while incorporating additional choice for students in the examinations.
The adjustments provide greater choice for candidates across a wide range of subjects.
A summary advice note setting out the key curriculum and assessment arrangements for the Leaving Certificate Applied programme for Year 1 and Year 2 students in the 2021/22 school year has also been published and is also available on www.gov.ie/leavingcertificate.
It was also announced on 30 June that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) will run an alternative set of Leaving Certificate Examinations in 2022, shortly following the main set of examinations. The SEC will set out the eligibility conditions for these examinations, which will be limited to certain students who are unable to sit the main set of examinations due to close family bereavement and certain other categories of serious illness, to be clearly and strictly delineated. The SEC will issue further details regarding these examinations, with all arrangements developed in consultation with public health specialists. There will also be further engagement with stakeholders in this matter.
145. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education her plans to provide further primary and post-primary schools in addition to increased provision within existing schools in an area given the increasing population (details supplied);; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51689/21]
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, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit, school enrolment data and information on residential development activity, to identify where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. Santry and Northwood are located in Dublin 9 which is partly within each of the Whitehall_SantryD9, Beaumont_CoolockD5 and Drumcondra_Marino_D1 school planning areas.
The most recent projections for all three school planning areas indicate an increase in school requirements at post primary level. My Department is currently working to examine the capacity of the schools in the area to meet this projected demand.
Where data indicates that additional provision is required, 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.
A number of capital projects have been recently completed or are currently planned or underway in the Dublin 9 area, including expansions at St. Aidan’s CBS, Dominican College, Clonturk College and Scoil Caitriona. Furthermore, a new post primary school was announced to be established to serve the Drumcondra_Marino_D1 school planning area and has yet to be established. The additional capacity being provided by all of these projects is being considered in the context of the projected future requirements in the area.
The most recent projections for the school planning areas do not indicate a requirement for the establishment of a primary school. My Department will continue to work to ensure that there is sufficient capacity to meet school place demand.
School place requirements nationally, including in Dublin 9, for both Primary and Post Primary level will continue to be kept under on-going review and in particular will have regard to the impact of the increased rollout of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040.
146. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education the progress made in the review of the school transport service; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51692/21]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
My Department commenced a review of the School Transport Scheme in Februrary 2021. The review is being conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness and sustainability, and to ensure that it serves students and their families adequately. The review encompasses the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs and the Primary and Post-Primary School Transport Schemes in terms of how each element of the schemes currently operate, to include eligibility criteria, trends, costs and cost drivers, and overall effectiveness in meeting the objectives of the schemes. The review will also examine the potential for integration of different strands of the scheme and a more co-ordinated approach with other Government Departments that also use transport services.
Following commencement of this review the Steering Group presented me with an initial interim report on eligibility with an examination of issues for mainstream pupils relating to the nearest and next nearest school. Following consideration of this report, I approved the extension of temporary alleviation measures in the current school year for transport for post-primary students who are otherwise eligible for school transport but are attending their second nearest school and have applied and paid on time.
Wider considerations relating to operation of the scheme are now taking place in the next phase of the review which is now underway. The Steering Group will continue to report to me on an interim basis as the review progresses, with a view to presenting a final report with recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme.
147. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education her plans for school transport to return to full capacity; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51693/21]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. In the 2020/2021 school year over 114,100 children, including over 14,700 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €224.7m in 2020.
Planning for school transport for the 2021/22 school year has proceeded on the basis that the public health measures in place as schools closed at the end of the last school year would remain as term began in this new school year. This includes the recommendations from Public Health that post-primary services would operate at 50% capacity. All other measures relating to hygiene, pre-assigned seating, cleaning and the wearing of masks by post-primary students are also in place. However, as the vaccination programme for children on post-primary services is rolled out and as the lifting of restrictions on public transport services proceeds, the capacity limit of 50% on post-primary school transport services will be subject to ongoing review and the Department will be considering the position in this regard over the coming weeks.
Should post-primary services resume operating at 100% capacity and where additional vehicles that were provided for social distancing purposes are removed, any spare capacity available will be offered on those services to concessionary pupils or late applicants where such capacity exists.
148. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Education if her Department will review primary school class sizes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51694/21]
View answerUnder the Programme for Government there is a commitment to seek to make further progress in reducing the pupil teacher ratios in primary schools.
At primary level, the annual staffing schedule determines the allocation of teachers to schools. The current allocation is on an average ratio of 1 classroom teacher for every 25 pupils. Budget 2022 has implemented a further 1 point reduction for the 2022/23 school year so that primary schools will be allocated teaching posts on an average basis of 1 classroom teacher for every 24 pupils in September 2022. Lower thresholds apply to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
This Budget measure has brought the teacher allocation ratio in all primary schools to the lowest ever seen at primary level. This is the second successive Budget which has seen an improvement in allocation of teachers to primary schools.
The latest figures in relation to pupil teacher ratio shows an improved ratio of teachers to pupils from 16:1 to 14.5:1 at primary level when comparing the 2015/16 school year to the 2020/21 school year. This compares favourably with the OECD pupil teacher ratio which is 1:15. In the same period the staffing schedule improved from 28:1 to 25:1 for this school year.
Average class sizes improved from 24.9 to 23.3 in the same period. The most recent budget announcement will continue the positive trend of improving class sizes for this school year, and statistics on this will be published later in the year.
150. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will provide details of the entitlements of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51347/21]
View answerUnder current eligibility conditions, applicants must have a minimum of 520 full-rate paid contributions in order to qualify for standard State pension (contributory). This equates to 10 years of full-rate insurable employment over a person’s working life. It should be noted that having a minimum of 520 full-rate contributions does not automatically entitle an applicant to the maximum rate of State pension (contributory). It is the qualifying threshold that must be satisfied so that an applicant’s pension entitlement can be calculated, based on their individual circumstances.
For those who do not qualify for the State Pension (contributory), or qualify for a reduced rate of pension, the State pension (non-contributory) is an alternative means-tested, residency-based payment for persons of pension age. The applicant is assessed with half of the assessable means of the couple. The maximum rate payable equates to 95% of the maximum rate of State pension (contributory).
According to the records of my Department, the person concerned has not yet applied for either State pension. I have arranged for the necessary application forms to be sent to them. On receipt of an application, a decision can be made on their entitlement and the person concerned will be notified in writing of the outcome.
Alternatively, the person’s spouse may consider applying for an Increase for a Qualified Adult (IQA) payment on their State pension (contributory) in respect of the person concerned. The relevant application form has also been issued.
The means test for the IQA is based on the qualified adult’s personal means, solely or jointly held. Half of jointly-held means are assessable. The maximum rate of IQA for a qualified adult aged over 66 with nil assessable means equates to 90% of a full contributory pension.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
151. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Social Protection if she or any official from her Department has held meetings or conducted correspondence with a company (details supplied) from 1 January 2017 to date; if her Department has engaged the services of the company for any purposes from 1 January 2017 to date; if so, the nature of such services and the costs incurred; if a tender process was conducted;; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51361/21]
View answerNeither the Department of Social Protection or the Minister for the Department has held a meeting or conducted correspondence with this company since 1 January 2017 to date.
I trust this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
152. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry is eligible for a training support grant to secure a heavy goods vehicle licence; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51395/21]
View answerWhile participants of JobPath do not have access to the Training Support Grant (TSG) provided by the Department, the JobPath companies will on a case by case basis provide similar funding. JobPath providers have their own discretionary funds available to pay for training or other interventions; the decision to approve or reject any request for funding is solely at the discretion of the JobPath provider.
They will take into account the duration, cost and relevance to the customer’s job goal preferences. The prevalence of employment opportunities in the sector will also be considered along with the likelihood that the customer secures full-time employment upon completion of the course.
Several courses are provided in-house while others are provided by specialist training providers including the Education and Training Boards (ETBs). There are no barriers to any participant pursuing training, including further education and training courses, providing they are relevant to the agreed personal progression plan.
I can confirm that the person concerned is currently engaged with the JobPath Service and has been since 14/07/2021. My officials have made contact with Turas Nua who state that the customer was advised of Turas Nua’s policy regarding access to discretionary funding but that no request has been made to date.
The customer’s Personal Advisor confirmed that he is due to complete the Category C Truck Driver Theory Test on 19/10/2021 but Turas Nua have not been notified of any offer of full-time employment made to the customer pending his receipt of a full Category C driver’s licence. The notes on file
state that he hopes to commence the HGV Driving course in January 2022.
153. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a working family payment claim in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [51425/21]
View answerWorking Family Payment (formerly known as Family Income Supplement) is a weekly tax free payment which provides additional income support to employees, on low earnings, with children.
The person concerned reapplied for Working Family Payment through the Department's online application process.
WFP for the person concerned has now been awarded with effect from 14 October 2021.
The first payment issued to the nominated bank account on Thursday 14 October 2021.
I trust this clarifies the mater for the Deputy.
154. Deputy Anne Rabbitte asked the Minister for Social Protection if a person (details supplied) with a diagnosis of albinism who is in receipt of a disability allowance but does not have the stamps to qualify for invalidity pension, has an entitlement to apply for an invalidity pension on medical grounds. [51429/21]
View answerInvalidity pension (IP) is a payment for people who are permanently incapable of work because of illness or incapacity and for no other reason and who satisfy the pay related social insurance (PRSI) contribution conditions.
There are a number of conditions that must be satisfied to qualify for IP, which include that a claimant must have at least 260 (5 years) paid PRSI contributions since entering social insurance and 48 contributions paid or credited in the last or second last complete contribution year before the relevant date of their claim. Only PRSI classes A, E ,H & S contributions are reckonable for IP purposes.
The qualifying PRSI contribution is laid down in social welfare legislation and must be satisfied in order to be considered eligible for IP.
The most recent claim for IP was received from the person concerned on 29 September 2021. He was refused IP on the grounds that the contribution conditions for the scheme are not satisfied. Specifically, he does not have the required 260 contributions paid since entering social insurance. The Department's records indicate that he has a total of 99 contributions paid.
An applicant for IP must satisfy the contribution requirements for the scheme before any consideration can be given to their medical suitability for IP.
The person in question was notified of the decision to refuse IP on 04/10/2021, the reasons for it and his right of review and appeal. The person concerned was also afforded the opportunity to furnish full details of his employment record in Ireland and abroad if he feels his PRSI contribution record is incomplete.
I hope this clarifies the position.
155. Deputy Sean Sherlock asked the Minister for Social Protection the status of a fuel allowance application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [51464/21]
View answerFuel allowance is a means-tested payment to provide assistance to householders on long-term social welfare payments towards the cost of their heating needs.
The main eligibility conditions that apply to the fuel allowance scheme are that a person must be in receipt of a qualifying payment, must satisfy a means test and must either be living alone or with other qualifying persons.
The person concerned applied for fuel allowance on 13 September 2021. Since it is a means-tested payment, information regarding their household means was requested on 18 September 2021. Following receipt of the requested information, fuel allowance has been awarded. Written notification of this decision issued to the person concerned on 11 October 2021. Fuel allowance payments from 1 October 2021, the start of the 2021/22 fuel season, have also issued to the person concerned.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
156. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Social Protection if a decision has been made on an application for the 2021 carer’s support grant by a person in (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51467/21]
View answerI confirm that my department received an application for Carer’s Support Grant (CSG) from the person concerned on the 29th September 2021.
Information was requested from the person concerned on 1st October 2021 and her reply was received on 11th October 2021.
I can confirm that the person concerned has been awarded a CSG for the years 2020 and 2021. Payment of €1,700 for the year 2020 and €1,850 for the year 2021 will be paid to the person's nominated bank account shortly. Notification of this decision has issued to the person concerned on 18 October, 2021.
I hope this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
157. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that are in receipt of disablement benefit; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51519/21]
View answer158. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that have a level of disablement up to 50% and are in receipt of the corresponding weekly disablement benefit payment; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51520/21]
View answer159. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of persons that are in receipt of disablement benefit but are not in receipt of incapacity supplement; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51521/21]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 157, 158 and 159 together.
Disablement benefit is one of the benefits payable under the occupational injuries benefit scheme, to an insured person who suffers a loss of physical or mental faculty as a result of an occupational accident or a prescribed occupational disease that was sustained on or after 1 May 1967. The person must have been in insurable (occupational injuries) employment at the time of the accident or when the disease was contracted.
The number of persons in receipt of Disablement Benefit is 14, 752
The number of persons that have a level of disablement up to and including 50% and are in receipt of a disablement benefit payment is 13,192.
People getting Disablement Pension (without another payment) can work, full or part-time. Incapacity Supplement is an extra supplement with Disablement Pension. Individuals may qualify for Incapacity Supplement if they are permanently incapable of work as a result of an occupational accident or disease and do not qualify for another Social Welfare Benefit payment such as Illness Benefit, or Invalidity Pension. Individuals generally cannot qualify for Incapacity Supplement if they are in receipt of any other Social Welfare Benefit or Assistance.
The Number of persons in receipt of Disablement Benefit but not in receipt of Incapacity supplement is 13,979, the number of persons in receipt of Incapacity Supplement is 773.
An application form for Disablement benefit (OB21) can be downloaded from my Department’s website or is available from local Intreo offices Nationwide.
Only on receipt of a fully completed application form can entitlement to disablement benefit be determined.
I hope this clarifies the matter for the Deputy.
160. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection the number of full rate pensions approved on an annual basis which have been based on level of contributions (details supplied) from 1991 to date, per contribution boundary in tabular form. [51529/21]
View answerThe figures requested by the Deputy are set out in the table below.
The Deputy may wish to note the following:
- The requested information on pension awards prior to 2010 is not readily available.
- Automatic transfers from Invalidity Pension to State Pension at State Pension Age are categorised separately. This is because a person's social insurance record is not used to calculate the State Pension rate for people in this group.
- The contribution bands above represent the full social insurance record used in assessing the SPC claim. Note that this includes credited contributions and Home Caring Periods, if these were used in calculating the pension rate.
- Once a person qualifies for the maximum rate of State Pension, it is not necessary to add further information to the Department's systems in relation to pre-1979 history, credited contributions and Home Caring Periods. This means that some people's social insurance records may in fact have been stronger than shown above.
- In April 2012, the minimum level of paid contributions required to qualify for the State Pension increased from 5 years (260 contributions) to 10 years (520 contributions).
- Self-Employed social insurance contributions commenced in 1988. By 2013, those who were in full time self-employment since 1988 had accrued 1300 paid contributions. From 2014 on, such people move from the "1041 to 1300" band to the higher "other" band.
161. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Social Protection if recipients who are currently in receipt of the pandemic unemployment payment will not be moved to standard jobseeker’s terms should the lifting of Covid-19 restrictions not go ahead on 22 October 2021 as planned particularly with regard to those who cannot return to their employment as a result of current limitations on industries such as live entertainment and hospitality; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [51534/21]
View answerTo date, the Pandemic Unemployment Payment (PUP) has supported over 900,000 employees including the self- employed, who lost employment as a direct result of government mandated Covid-19 public health measures. The total expenditure on the scheme is now over €8.8 billion.
Due to the lifting of restrictions and success of the vaccine programme the number of recipients of the payment has now fallen dramatically, and is continuing to fall each week, from a peak of over 600,000 to a current figure of 93,400. I expect the numbers to continue to fall following the Government’s agreement this week that the remaining aspects of the hospitality, entertainment and night-time economy sector can reopen subject to a range of protective measures being in place.
As set out by Government in the National Economic and Recovery Plan, the PUP is being gradually phased out over a number of months to align it with the standard jobseeker’s payments.
As customers go on to the €203 rate, they will move to standard jobseeker terms. This is a necessary step to ensure equity of treatment and fairness within the social welfare system with those who lost their jobs pre-pandemic and indeed those who have lost their job since 8 July when the PUP scheme closed to new applicants.
In view of the approach being taken by Government, I have already deferred the process of moving from the lower €203 rate of PUP to a jobseeker’s payment, which was due to begin in early September, until after 26th October. Accordingly, affected customers will continue to receive their PUP payment until 26 October when the process of their transition to a Jobseeker’s payment will begin. My Department has already written to these customers to advise them of the transition process and the options available to them so that they will continue to be supported as appropriate.
Further rate changes will take place in November and in February 2022.
I trust that this clarifies the position at this time.
