Written Answers Nos. 280-294
280. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the number of engagements, including online meetings, webinars, briefings and in-person meetings he or officials from his Department have had with the National Women’s Council of Ireland from 1 January 2019 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10577/22]
View answerThe Department of Foreign Affairs has engaged with the National Women’s Council of Ireland (NWCI) on a number of occasions from 1 January 2019 to date. The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Reconciliation Fund has provided support to the NWCI through two grants, totalling €45,321, awarded in 2021 to support the establishment of their All-island Women’s Forum. Officials have had routine telephone and email contact with the NWCI during 2021 and 2022 in the context of these grants and the roll-out of the All-island Women’s Forum. Officials joined a meeting by video call between the NWCI and the Department of the Taoiseach’s Shared Island Unit on 9 July 2021 to discuss the All-island Women’s Forum. The Minister for Foreign Affairs provided a short video message of support for broadcast at the first in-person meeting of the All-island Women’s Forum, which took place in Enniskillen on 17 February 2022; this event was also attended by two Department officials. NWCI is a member of the Implementation Group for Ireland’s National Plan on Business and Human Rights, and was represented at meetings of the Group on 16 January 2019; 29 January 2020; and 30 March 2021. The Implementation Group, established to oversee the implementation of the National Plan on Business and Human Rights, was appointed by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, and the secretariat of the Group is provided by the Department of Foreign Affairs in cooperation with other relevant government departments.NWCI is a member of the DFA Committee on Human Rights, and attended Committee meetings on 16 October 2019 and 21 July 2020. This DFA Committee on Human Rights was established in 1997 to provide a framework for a regular exchange of views between the Department of Foreign Affairs and representatives of the NGO community, as well as civil society more generally. NWCI is represented on the Steering Committee for the National Strategy for Women and Girls, which is led by D/CEDIY and which the Department of Foreign Affairs attends. NWCI and DFA would have participated in meetings of this Steering Committee on 5 February 2019, 11 June 2019, 7 November 2019, 13 May 2020, 9 December 2020, 15 April 2021, 13 July 2021, and 2 November 2021. On 23 November 2021, Department officials had a (virtual) meeting with NWCI to discuss “NWCI’s work and future plans”. On 18 March 2021, NWCI Director Orla O’Connor participated in a panel discussion at a (virtual) webinar organised by the Department on ‘Women in Politics: Overcoming the Gender Barriers’; this was a side event at the 65th session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women.
281. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a foreign birth register application by a person (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10592/22]
View answerMy Department is responsible for citizenship by descent through the Foreign Births Register under the Irish Nationality and Citizenship Act 1956, as amended.
The processing of Foreign Birth Registration has resumed and will be gradually scaling up in line with the recruitment of additional resources. Due to the complex nature of the Foreign Birth Registration process, the large increase in applications received following the Brexit vote in the UK, and the pause in the Service due to necessary Covid-19 restrictions, applicants should allow approximately 2 years from the receipt of supporting documentation for processing of Foreign Birth Registration applications at this time. Due to Covid-19 restrictions, and the subsequent reassignment of Foreign Birth Registration staff to assist in the provision of essential passport services, the Foreign Birth Registration Service was paused for nearly 15 months across the 2020-2021 period.
The application referenced was registered on 9 November 2020, and is being stored in a secure environment.
The FBR service operates a transparent general policy of processing applications in order of receipt. FBR staff continue to provide an emergency service for Foreign Birth Registration in cases of exceptional urgency, such as expectant parents, or stateless persons. Such applicants may continue to contact the Passport Service directly.
My Department is fully committed to the continued allocation of additional resources over the coming period to assist with the processing of the Foreign Birth Registration applications currently on hand and the high volume of new applications anticipated this year.
284. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport will be processed on time for a person (details supplied) in County Mayo in order that they can travel with their family.; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10662/22]
View answer287. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs when a passport will be processed for a person (details supplied) in view of the fact this application is with the Passport Office since 29 October 2021. [10718/22]
View answer288. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if a passport will issue for a person (details supplied) submitted in December 2021; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10827/22]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 284, 287 and 288 together.
With regard to the specific applications about which the Deputies have enquired, the Passport Service has issued passports to the applicants.
286. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if his attention has been drawn to significant delays in respect of first-time passport application processing times made from within the State; the steps he has taken in order to reduce application processing times; and the number of first-time applications made within the State in the backlog of applications to be processed. [10685/22]
View answerThe Passport Service is currently experiencing high demand for first time passports, particularly for children. First time passport applications do take longer to process and there are a number of reasons for this. First time applications are necessarily complex to process, since they are essentially applications for Irish citizenship. The Passport Service must validate the true identity of the applicant and take measures to confirm the applicant’s entitlement to Irish citizenship. It is the statutory responsibility of the Passport Service to protect the integrity of the Irish passport. Accordingly, a rigorous analysis process is in place to verify the identity and citizenship status of first time applicants.
In the case of first time passport applications for children, the consent of guardians must also be thoroughly validated.
The current passport processing times are:
- 10 working days for Simple Adult online renewals
- 15 working days for Complex or child online renewals
- 40 working days for First Time Applications on Passport Online
- 8 weeks for An Post’s mail-in “Passport Express” service
Due to the intensive analysis and extra measures undertaken by highly trained and experienced staff, first time applications take 40 working days to process. In cases of children whose parents are not Irish citizens, the process can sometimes take longer due to the need to ensure that all of the required supporting documentation to prove the child’s entitlement to Irish citizenship is submitted and correct. Due to the high level of complexity with these particular applications, further documentation is often required adding to the processing time.
My Department has been pro-actively planning to ensure the necessary resources are in place to meet the current and expected level of demand in 2022 and is making an unprecedented investment in the Passport Service in terms of additional staff and improvements to the passport processing and customer service systems.
My Department is working with the Public Appointments Service on a major recruitment drive that has been underway for several months. Since June of 2021, over 300 members of staff at all grades have been assigned to the Passport Service. Additional staff are being assigned on a weekly basis with a goal of reaching staff numbers of 900 by the end of March. This represents a doubling of staff numbers over the course of 9 months.
It is a priority for the Passport Service to improve processing times for first time applicants in 2022. The Passport Service is implementing a number of further measures that will positively impact the current turnaround times and improve customer service:
- Intensive training of new staff and upskilling of existing staff is underway to increase the resources that can process complex applications.
- The Passport Service is actively prioritising first time applications and directing increased resources to processing these complex applications with a view to reducing the current turnaround time.
- A new document management process is being put in place that allows for a much quicker turnaround time when an applicant is asked to submit additional documents. Once these documents are received, they will be prioritised and complete applications will be processed in 3 weeks. This will greatly reduce the waiting time for applicants who are missing documents in their initial application.
We are confident that the measures that have been implemented will help to reduce passport turnaround times in the course of 2022, particularly for first time applications, and will assist the Passport Service in meeting the high demand forecast for this year.
The Passport Service has been experiencing very high demand for passports since May 2021 and expects a high level of demand for passports to continue throughout this year. Currently, over 1.4m passport applications are anticipated this year compared to the previous pre-Covid-19 annual high of 935,000 in 2019. This is due to pent-up demand following Covid-19 public health restrictions over the past two years. Previous predictions for 2022 estimated a volume of 1.7m. However, for now this number has decreased due to the volume of passport renewal applications received in late 2021. The prediction for the number of passport applications in 2022 remains subject to review and the first six months of the year are still forecasted to remain very busy with most of the reduction in forecasted volume seen in the second half of the year.
In January 2022, the Passport Service received over 137,000 new passport applications. This is the highest volume of monthly applications ever received and indicates that there is pent-up demand for passports following the relaxation of necessary travel restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
There are currently 160,000 passport applications in the system. Of these, 20,000 are first time applications made within the State. While there is a very high volume of applications in the system, this does not represent a backlog. There is a continuous stream of new applications and a continuous dispatch of completed passports happening every day. Figures show that, of the total 160,000 applications in the system, 90,000 (57%) applications are fully complete and are being processed by the Passport Service. The other 70,000 (43%) applications in the system are incomplete, which means the Passport Service is waiting for the applicant to submit the necessary documentation required. While the Passport Service makes every effort to contact applicants in such circumstances, their experience is that many applicants take weeks and sometimes months to send in the necessary documents.
I strongly urge anyone who is considering travelling overseas this year, particularly families with young children, to check the validity of their passports before booking travel and to apply for their passports online in plenty of time.
289. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Defence the number of engagements, including online meetings, webinars, briefings and in-person meetings he or officials from his Department have had with the National Women’s Council of Ireland from 1 January 2019 to date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10572/22]
View answerIn my capacity as Minister for Defence neither I, nor any official from my Department, has had any engagements, including online meetings, webinars, briefings and in-person meetings with the National Women’s Council of Ireland from 1 January 2019 to date.
290. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to a lack of resourcing for reading schools in Dublin (details supplied); if she has any plans to increase supports for reading schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10517/22]
View answerEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.
A continuum of education provision is in place covering the full range of need spanning placement in mainstream classes with supports through to more specialist placements either in a special class or a special school depending on the level of complexity of need.
Available supports include provision to meet care needs and to provide additional teaching support where this is required. In addition, there are specialist educational supports provided by the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to help schools provide an appropriate education for pupils with special educational needs including reading difficulties.
There are no plans to expand Reading Schools at this time, including the school referred to by the Deputy.
NCSE is currently undertaking Policy Advice on Education Provision in Special Classes and Special Schools to examine whether placement in specialist settings brings about improved educational outcomes and experiences, relative to their ability, for students with special educational needs.
This Policy Advice is to be completed shortly and will then be considered by my Department.
I have also requested my Department to arrange for a review of the policy on reading classes and schools. When received, this report will also be considered in the context of overall policy on special education.
291. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education if she will expedite approval for the submission of detailed cost analysis plan by a school project (details supplied) for building proposal submitted on 31 January 2022 in order to avoid any delay that may result in an inflation in cost in the interim as has happened in the past; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10523/22]
View answerThe school referred to by the Deputy recently submitted documentation to my Department for assessment. This documentation has been reviewed in the Department and further information was requested of the school authorities on 18/02/2022.
It is a matter for the school authorities to forward this information as soon as possible. Once received, the Department will continue with the review and will communicate with the school authorities upon completion with a view to progressing the project as expeditiously as possible.
292. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education if she will immediately establish an expert review group to examine the minimum essential qualification and issue recommendations in relation to special needs assistants, SNAs; if a clear commitment will be given to implement the expert group recommendation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10534/22]
View answerSpecial Needs Assistants (SNAs) play a huge role in helping to ensure the inclusion of pupils with significant care needs in education and in school life. This was acknowledged in the Comprehensive Review of the Special Needs Assistant Scheme (SNAs) published by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in 2018.
The Review made a number of recommendations regarding SNAs including the training needs of SNAs. In this regard, the NCSE recommended that a new national training programme at Level 5 of the National Qualification Framework be developed for existing SNAs who do not have the requisite level of training and for new SNAs on appointment. The NCSE also recommended that training tailored to the complex needs of some students would also be provided.
The policy advice has been considered by my Department. It was decided that priority would be given to the development of a training programme for SNAs who may not have had a recent opportunity to access a training programme tailored to their role.
The first national training programme for SNAs is now in place and it aims to enhance the knowledge, skills and expertise of SNAs whose work is central to the inclusion of students with additional care and complex needs in school life. The programme is fully funded by my Department and delivered at no cost to the SNA.
As this is the first programme, it is appropriate to take the time to review outcomes and this will inform the future approach to ongoing training and professional development of SNAs. Part of that consideration will include accreditation.
Raising the minimum qualification for appointment as a special needs assistant has been raised by the FORSA union and has been referred to the Workplace Relations Commission. My Department is engaging in that process.
The recruitment and appointment of Special Needs Assistants is a matter for each individual school authority. In addition, the actual requirements for a post will vary depending on the specific needs of the children and the school to which the SNA is to be appointed. My Department does not believe that the existing minimum qualifications has impacted on the calibre of person appointed and it is also the case that people with experience and/or higher qualifications than the minimum are often the successful candidate in competitions held by schools.
However, having considered the claim and, in particular, the period of time since they were set, my Department is open to reviewing the position. My Department has also agreed to a review of the SNA contract which was agreed as part of the Building Momentum national pay agreement. My Department is of the view that the forthcoming review of the SNA contract should be carried out and implemented first.
I am satisfied that the approach outlined fully recognises the important place of SNAs in our schools. The forthcoming review of the SNA contract along with the new training programme for SNAs that is now in place will help to enhance the experience of children with special needs in our schools.
293. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education if she will ensure there are no cuts to the upcoming special education teaching allocation hours for a school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10537/22]
View answerThe Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile.
Under the allocation model, schools have been provided with a total allocation for special education needs support based on their school profile.
The provision of a profiled allocation is designed to give a fair allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support, but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the level of need in each school.
In order to minimise disruption for schools, due to the Covid pandemic and to provide for continuity of allocations, the Minister for Education and the Minister for Special Education and Inclusion agreed to maintain the existing Special Education Teacher Allocations for schools for the 2021/22 school year, with re profiled allocations now due to be made from September 2022.
Schools are frontloaded with resources, based on each school’s profile. The allocations to schools include provision to support all pupils in the schools, including where a child receives a diagnosis after the allocation is received by a school, or where there are newly enrolling pupils to the school.
Both the Department and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) are committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which their school profiles have been calculated
294. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education if she will provide the secondary school zoning maps that highlight the catchment areas for students progressing from primary to post primary schools in County Louth and east County Meath in order to review current catchment zones; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10552/22]
View answerAs the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data in a way that takes account of the significant local and regional variations in demographic trends and enrolment projections, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas (SPAs).
Using school planning area boundaries within my Department’s Geographic Information System (GIS) allows data within those boundaries, including data for enrolments in schools, child benefit and other relevant data to be added to the mapping information, grouped and analysed.
The school planning areas are used in the demographic exercise as a basis for the assessment of areas of growth and to inform recommendations on the establishment of any new schools required in that school planning area. In urban areas, in particular, data relating to adjacent school planning areas is also used to inform our consideration of requirements. There are no current plans to revise school planning areas.
The school planning areas in County Louth are as follows:
- Bush
- Dundalk
- Ardee
- Dunleer
- Drogheda
- Carrickmacross
For clarity, this list reflects school planning areas which are fully or partly within the Louth County Council administrative area.
The school planning areas which are fully or partly within east Meath are as follows:
- Ardee
- Navan
- Drogheda
- Laytown
- Ashbourne
- Dunshaughlin
- Kilcock
- Maynooth
- Ratoath
- Dunboyne
Data on schools across the country is available on my Department’s website, www.gov.ie/education under the “Find a School” function. Schools can be searched for using a number of different criteria including, inter alia, School Level, Geographical Area and Ethos and key information on the relevant schools, including enrolments from the 2020/21 academic year, is displayed in the results. A map of the relevant schools is provided as part of the "Find a School" functionality.
Full lists of all schools at primary or post primary level can also be downloaded from the website and these provide further data on individual schools. These lists can be filtered by local authority and/or county which may be helpful.
The following links show maps of each area as, requested.
