Written Answers Nos. 254-260
254. Deputy Duncan Smith asked the Minister for Education the up-to-date position with assistance for the Junior Certificate for a candidate (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23918/23]
View answerThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the state examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
255. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the progress of a school build (details supplied); when she expects the school to be open; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23939/23]
View answerThe Letter of Acceptance (LOA) for the schools referred to by the Deputy issued to the preferred tenderer on the 31st May 2022 commencing the school building contract.
Works are progressing well on site and the school buildings are due for completion in Q4 2023.
My Department has been liaising with the patron bodies of the schools referred to by the Deputy in relation to interim accommodation requirements pending completion of the permanent accommodation for the schools.
256. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if additional accommodation space will be granted for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23966/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Enabling children with special educational needs (SEN) to receive an education appropriate to their needs is a priority for this Government.
It is also a key priority for me as Minister for Special Education & Inclusion, for my Department and for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). The vast majority of children with special educational needs are supported to attend mainstream classes with their peers. Where children with more complex needs require additional supports, special classes and special school places are provided.
For 2023, the spend by my Department on special education will be substantially increased by over 10% on last year, meaning that for 2023 my Department will spend over €2.6 billion providing supports to children and young people with special educational needs and their schools.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 27% of the Department’s total allocation for 2023.
This includes funding to support children with SEN in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers and special needs assistants.
The NCSE has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.
Over the last two to three years, my Department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.
These initiatives are bearing fruit with over 600 new special classes sanctioned at primary level, almost 300 new special classes sanctioned at post-primary level and five new special schools established over the last three years.
My Department is engaging intensely with the NCSE in relation to the forward planning of new special classes and additional special school places. This work involves a detailed review of statistical data in relation to forecasting demand for special class places, consideration of improved data sharing arrangements and a particular focus on the provision of special classes at post-primary level.
As a result of this forward planning, on the 12th of April, Minister Foley and I announced the establishment of 2 new special schools for the 2023/2024 school year, with further capacity being expanded in 11 other special schools.
Along with the two new special schools, 328 new special classes – 217 at primary and 111 at post-primary level – have been sanctioned by the NCSE for opening in the 2023/24 school year, with more to be confirmed in the coming weeks. Of these 6 are in Co. Mayo, 3 at primary and 3 at post-primary level.
My Department and the NCSE are committed to ensuring that sufficient special education placements will be available for children for the coming school year 2023/2024.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact the NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes. The local special educational needs organisers (SENOs) remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list .
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school. Schools may apply to the NCSE to open a special class where a need has been identified in their area i.e. a number of students have professional reports indicating they require the support of a special class.
Information on the list of schools with special classes, the types and locations of these classes is published on the NCSE website and is available at www.ncse.ie
I want to reassure you also that my Department will continue to support the NCSE and schools through the provision of the necessary funding and capital investment to ensure all children are successful in accessing an education.
257. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media when the inaugural 2008 national famine commemoration date plaque will be unveiled 15 years after it was held at the Custom House in Dublin. [12875/23]
View answerWith regard to the installation of a commemorative plaque in the Custom House, as I advised the house in my reply to Parliamentary Question no 134 of 8 February 2023, my officials, the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage and the OPW have agreed to the placement of this plaque in the Custom House Visitors Centre, which is under the management of the OPW.
Preparations are underway for the installation of the plaque at a suitable location within the Centre, and the OPW have confirmed that the plaque has been produced. The OPW are currently awaiting fabrication of the plaque stand, and are endeavouring to have it on site shortly. An announcement will issue in due course once arrangements have been finalised.
258. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will outline the funding programmes in relation to the Shared Island Unit that are under consideration to support the teaching of the Irish language in Northern Ireland. [13206/23]
View answerThere are currently a number of programmes in operation which are either funded under the Shared Island Initiative or by the North South Irish language agency, Foras na Gaeilge, aimed at supporting the Irish language within the education system in Northern Ireland.
Under the Shared Island initiative, my Department provided Naíscoil na Seolta with €55,000 in 2022, to develop a business plan for an Irish language education campus in East Belfast. The promoters of Naíscoil na Seolta are currently undertaking a feasibility study to identify a suitable location to provide a permanent base for the provision of education and child care supports through the medium of Irish in East Belfast.
Separately, Foras na Gaeilge and its lead organisations support schools and educational organisations through their various funding schemes and provide advice in regards to Irish medium education and the teaching of the language.
Foras na Gaeilge’s Investment Fund for the Establishment of Preschool Provision and Childcare also provides funding for the establishment of Irish-medium crèches, pre-schools and childcare centres, across the island. In addition, the organisation's Summer Camp Scheme provide funding for organisers of Irish language activities and camps, enabling children and young people to use the language in social settings, thus complementing its promotion in the education system. Funding is also provided to educational projects through Foras na Gaeilge’s Projects Fund.
Foras na Gaeilge's lead organisations, Gael Linn and Cumann na bhFiann, also provide support for the Irish language in the area of education in Northern Ireland.
Foras na Gaeilge is available to provide advice to organisations on Irish medium education and the teaching of the language and is represented on several boards and committees relating to education matters in Northern Ireland.
259. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will provide a list of every report conducted by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service by year, published or completed since 2012, or still in the process of being conducted, on any programme vote, public body, or funding scheme currently under her Department’s remit; and a copy of those reports which have been published. [23825/23]
View answerThe Irish Government Economic and Evaluation reports produced under the remit of my Department play an important role in fostering inter-departmental engagement in connection with the development and implementation of public policy based on policy insights. These reports help to examine the effectiveness of public expenditure in attaining policy objectives and enable policy insights to be fed into every phase of the policy-making process.
My Department in its current configuration was established in September 2020. The table below lists the reports covering areas under my Department's remit that were published by the Irish Government Economic and Evaluation Service in that period. The table details each reports' title, publication date and provides a web-link to help the deputy attain a copy of each report.
|
Title |
Published |
Copy of Report |
|
Focused Policy Assessment: The Distributive Efficiency of the Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) |
Published: August 2022 |
www.gov.ie/pdf/?file=https://assets.gov.ie/231922/c3d960d2-db98-4a52-b4df-1088f68ae787.pdf#page=null |
|
Assessment of the impact of Brexit and COVID19 on Údarás na Gaeltachta and its client companies |
Published: October 2020 |
assets.gov.ie/94880/02fb26b9-53d1-4c60-b952-6d469507388a.pdf |
260. Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will list every property owned or rented by her Department; the rent paid by her Department or its predecessor Departments on each property every year since 2013; and a summary of the use to which each property has been put over the past ten years and is currently being put. [23826/23]
View answerIn general, matters relating to the acquisition and leasing of property for my Department are the responsibility of the Office of Public Works.
My Department in its current configuration was established in September 2020 and leases offices from Údarás na Gaeltachta in an Spidéal, Co. na Gaillimhe for Oifig an Choimisinéara Teanga. The amounts paid to date in respect of these in that period are set out in the table below.
|
Year |
Expenditure € |
|
2020 (from September) |
11,810 |
|
2021 |
47,824 |
|
2022 |
48,019 |
|
2023 to date |
24,010 |
|
Total |
131,663 |
