Written Answers Nos. 278-293
278. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education if money granted by Caranua to a survivor of an institution that was to be used, only for household goods, but not yet used may still be claimed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32110/23]
View answerCaranua was established in 2013 to disburse funding supports to survivors of abuse in residential institutions from a fund of €110m plus interest which was contributed by the relevant congregations following the publication of the Ryan Report in 2009.
As the funding available to Caranua was finite in nature, Caranua began to wind-down its operations in 2018, and finalised all outstanding applications by March 2021. My Department is not in a position to re-open applications or undertake functions on behalf of Caranua.
As the Deputy may be aware, Government recently approved proposals to provide for the formal dissolution of Caranua and it is my intention to progress the required legislation in the coming months.
279. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for Education given that there are approximately 2,500 children enrolled in three schools in Oranmore, County Galway, if there is any scheme within her Department to provide playing and recreational facilities; if she will advise whether there is a point of contact within her Department who is available to meet and discuss this issue; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32112/23]
View answerI wish to confirm to the Deputy that the majority of schools have a general purpose room / Physical Education hall and practically all schools have outdoor play areas. In addition, many schools, use adjacent local facilities, including community halls, public parks, playing fields and swimming pools.
Investment and expenditure on sports facilities is an element of the overall expenditure and investment in the School Building Programme. The provision of outdoor play areas form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings or where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school.
The Department has to prioritise its limited capital resources, in the context both of the ongoing requirement for additional school places (including places for pupils with special education needs) and the high construction inflation which has significantly impacted on the cost of projects that we must deliver. As part of its planning for the years ahead, my Department is engaging with the Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform in relation to capital funding pressures and ongoing deficits in school accommodation.
280. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education to provide the number of teachers recruited to ETB schools in counties Laois and Offaly since 2020; the number of these who have retained their positions; the number who left employment in Laois and Offaly ETB schools during the same time period; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32126/23]
View answerTeacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.
My Department allocates teaching posts to individual ETB Schemes in accordance with the published criteria. The distribution of this staffing allocation between its schools and the recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the Chief Executive of each ETB, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012).
281. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education if her Department has a policy to intervene with schools that demonstrate an above-average inability to retain teaching staff; if her Department monitors the turnover rates of teaching staff in State-funded schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32127/23]
View answerSchool boards of management/ ETBs are the employers of teachers and the recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for each individual school authority. The Department does not maintain policies on staff retention, as this is a role for a school's board of management or the relevant ETB.
Teachers notify school management, in writing, of their intention to resign and in general, teachers are required to provide three months’ notice specifying the date on which they will be leaving. A school may pay a teacher up to that leaving date and this information is communicated to the Department’s payroll service.
The number of teachers allocated for the 2022 / 2023 school year was 42,739 in primary schools and 34,250 in post primary schools. This is an increase of over 17,000 teachers employed in our schools over the 10 year period from 2011/2012 to 2022/2023.
Based on the information provided by schools to the Department’s Payroll Division, since 01 September 2022, the number of contracted teachers who have indicated they were not returning to teach in their school, and who did not take up a position in another primary, secondary, community or comprehensive school is as follows:
• 39 teachers in primary schools
• 72 teachers in non ETB post primary schools.
Some of the teachers who have indicated that they are not returning to teach may have taken up employment in the ETB sector.
Employee turnover is a key concern for employers across many different sectors of the economy both in Ireland and internationally. In an Irish context this is highlighted in the latest CIPD Ireland HR Practices in Ireland report which reports that a third of employers have reported a voluntary turnover rate of 16% or higher. This is a significant increase from 2022 when 21% of employers experienced the same level of worker departures.
The resignation figures experienced by other sectors are not reflected in the education sector. It is positive that the numbers of teachers reported as resigning is consistent with previous years and the number of resignations accounts for less than half a percent of the overall number of teachers allocated to schools.
282. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education the number of psychology students who graduate from Irish universities every year; the number of psychology placements available every year; if there are any plans to increase the number of placements considering the shortage of psychologists in the country; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32141/23]
View answerThe number of psychology students who graduate from Irish universities every year is a matter for the Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science.
My Department is looking at how it can continue to recruit adequate numbers of suitably qualified educational psychologists to continue to respond to the educational psychological needs of children in recognised primary and post-primary schools across the country.
As an immediate short-term measure the Department introduced a bursary to support Trainee Educational Psychologists currently in their third year (or third year equivalent) of professional training in University College Dublin (UCD) and Mary Immaculate College (MIC), who expect to graduate in 2023. Officials in my Department are liaising with Mary Immaculate College and University College Dublin to finalise funding supports for students of the educational psychological doctorate programme who would graduate in 2024, 2025 and 2026 and would be in a position to apply for the next NEPS recruitment competition that takes place in their final year of study and/or subsequent recruitment competitions thereafter.
283. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education for an update on land acquisition adjacent to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32184/23]
View answerI can confirm that my Department has completed the acquisition of a 2.6 acre site adjacent to St Nessan's NS. The application for registration has been lodged with the Property Registration Authority.
This site will be used to accommodate the required expansion of the school and will include two general classrooms and two SEN Classrooms, a sensory area and increased staff parking spaces. There is also the potential for future expansion if required.
284. Deputy Mark Ward asked the Minister for Education her views on the school transport application of a person (details supplied); if, given that the person must travel further than 6 km to their children’s school, they can be reconsidered; to outline what other options are available to them; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32229/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to eligible students and an increase of 38% in tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the current 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.
In addition, school transport scheme services are being provided in the current school year for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
Under the terms of my Department’s School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2kms at primary and 4.8kms at post-primary and are attending their nearest School/Education Centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation or offered a remote area grant where there is no service in place.
Bus Éireann has advised that the family referred to by the Deputy are eligible for school transport, however they were deemed as not eligible in error due to a technical fault on their digital mapping system.
Bus Éireann also advise that the family first applied on 28/03/2019 for the 2019-20 school year and that there has been no service to accommodate the pupils referred since making their application.
Since there is no service available from where the pupils referred reside to the school they are attending, and they are eligible for school transport, the family will be offered a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of making private transport arrangements from the commencement of the 2019-20 school year.
Grants are paid at the end of the school year, and School Transport Section of my Department will liaise directly with the family referred with regard to this matter.
285. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education when a school (details supplied) in County Mayo will be able to proceed to construction; if her officials have completed the review of the tender documentation; if not, when they expect to have it completed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32238/23]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers was granted approval for the provision of an 80m2 Modular Classroom and a 15m2 Modular Special Education Teaching room under my Department's Additional School Accommodation scheme. The project is devolved to the school authority.
The school authority recently submitted Tender documentation. The review of this documentation is currently being finalised by officials in my Department. The outcome of this review will be communicated directly to the school authority shortly.
286. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Education to provide a comprehensive and detailed update on the delivery of a promised new school building (details supplied) in County Mayo, in view of the condition of this school and the fact that the new school building was approved in February 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32239/23]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers to was approved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to build 1 Mainstream Classroom, 2 Special Education Teaching rooms, 2 Science rooms, 1 Staff room, 1 Technology and store room, 1 Science Preparation area, 1 Technology Preparation area & the removal of 7 prefabs. The project was devolved for delivery to the school authority who appointed a design team for the project.
I can confirm that my Department has received an architectural report from the school's design team. This report is currently being reviewed by officials in my Department within the context of an overall masterplan for the school and the particular challenges this site presents. My officials have visited the school as part of this review. Once the review is finalised, its recommendations will be shared with the school authority directly in order to progress the project to the next stage of the architectural process.
Interim measures were also put in place by my Department to address the most urgent issues of concern in the school ahead of the delivery of this significant new project.
287. Deputy Matt Carthy asked the Minister for Education the process in which a school (details supplied) must engage in order to receive funds to facilitate the construction of a gym and social canteen space for students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32264/23]
View answerThe school to which the deputy refers has been approved funding under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) Scheme 2021 for the provision of 1 x 149m2 Engineering Room, 1 x 59m2 Engineering Prep Room, 1 x 80m2 Construction Prep/Store area & 1 x 119m2 Home Economics Room.
Investment and expenditure on Gyms/PE Halls are an element of the overall School Building Programme.
The provision of GP rooms and PE Halls, at primary and post primary level respectively, and social/canteen spaces, form part of the accommodation brief for all new school buildings. This is also the case where a major building or refurbishment project is being delivered for an existing school.
The Deputy will appreciate that the immediate priority of my Department is providing new and replacement school places each year, to ensure that every child has a school place. The main focus of my Department’s resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics particularly at post-primary level, and for provision to meet the needs of children with special educational needs. My Department will continue to work to ensure that capital investment in our schools is targeted in the most efficient and effective way to support schools in meeting the education needs of their students and communities.
Under Project Ireland 2040 the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. There will be a rolling 5 year funding envelope which will be updated annually for the period 2026 to 2030 within the Government’s overall NDP funding envelope of €136 billion in exchequer capital (€165 billion total capital including non-Exchequer) that will facilitate building a modern and sustainable school infrastructure.
This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland. The strengthened focus on refurbishment of existing school stock will have different strands and will include a PE build and modernisation programme which will enable students in post-primary schools to have access to appropriate facilities to support PE provision, particularly also in the context of the roll-out of PE as a leaving-certificate subject. Enhanced and modernised PE facilities will also provide important amenities for local communities.
288. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of the situation whereby some school secretaries may be worse off financially under the new changes to regularise the employment, terms and conditions and pension rights of school secretaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32268/23]
View answerOn the 24th February 2022, following a series of engagements at the WRC, a package to settle a claim on terms and conditions for grant-funded school secretaries was proposed, which Fórsa agreed to recommend to its members. A ballot was undertaken and the result was 95% agreement in favour of the deal.
Since then the work to implement this agreement has been ongoing, in conjunction with Fórsa. It requires a complex process of assimilating information to capture accurate data in respect of each individual secretary, and the application of this data to ensure that each individual secretary is correctly assigned to the new agreed terms and conditions, if they so choose.
Circular 0036/2022 - Revision of Salaries and Annual Leave arrangements for School Secretaries employed in recognised primary and post primary schools issued in June 2022. It contained the payscale agreed with Fórsa for secretaries who choose to move to the new terms and conditions.
Under the terms of the Circular, each school was asked to identify the pay rate and annual leave that would apply should a secretary choose to move to the new terms and conditions and to indicate these to the secretary. This was to be done by the end of September 2022.
It should be noted that the information provided in Circular 0036/2022 was intended to assist school secretaries in making an informed decision as to whether they wished to remain on their existing terms and conditions as provided by the school or whether they wished to move to the new terms and conditions encompassed in the WRC agreement.
In November 2022, my Department issued a survey to most schools (this did not include ETB schools). This was done to facilitate the migration of school secretaries who choose to opt in to new salary and annual leave arrangements. This will lead to the payment of their salary through the Department’s Payroll from September 2023 onwards.
Information gathered as part of this survey appears to show that some schools made offers to secretaries that placed them on incorrect points of the scale (i.e. higher or lower than they should have been). Staff in the Payroll Division of my Department have been engaging with these schools regarding revised offers to be made to secretaries. Work on this is ongoing to ensure that secretaries are on the correct points of the salary scale in time for September 2023.
289. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a schedule of the grants, grant-aid, low-cost borrowing and funding that her Department can provide to an association (details supplied); the heading under which the grants, grant-aid, low-cost borrowing and funding is provided; the maximum amount that can be accessed; and the dates on which the schemes operate. [32274/23]
View answerMy Department does not provide grants or funding schemes to the organisation to which the Deputy refers.
In certain instances the Department provides funding to schools for the rent of land or premises for the purposes of temporary accommodation, typically pending the delivery of a school building project. In some cases, the rented land or premises is in the ownership of a local branch of the relevant association. These rental arrangements between the school and the property-owner are based on local circumstances, given the needs of the school and the available solutions, but do not involve grant-aid to the association in question.
290. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education when she expects that a quantity surveyor will visit a school (details supplied) in County Clare in order that its application for additional school accommodation (devolved modular) can be urgently progressed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32294/23]
View answerI wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school in question under the Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme.
My Department has been in contact with the school regarding the progression of the project to the next stage and a decision on the application will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as possible.
291. Deputy Pádraig O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education how many persons worked as home tutors per annum for 2020, 2021, 2022 and to date in 2023; how many of these are full-time on 39 hours per week or part-time on reduced hours, in tabular form; if these employees are paid on a weekly or monthly basis; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32298/23]
View answerThe Home Tuition Grant Scheme is available to provide funding towards the provision of a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of specific reasons, are unable to attend school.
The aim of the Department is to meet the needs of families and to ensure every child is allocated a suitable school placement. The preferred approach is that children are educated in school settings where children may have access to fully qualified teachers, individualised education programmes, special needs assistants, school curriculum with the option, where possible and appropriate, of full or partial integration and interaction with student peers.
Accordingly, home tuition is provided as an interim measure only for children for whom a placement in a recognised school is not currently available and should not be regarded as an optional alternative to a school placement.
The Special Education Needs Home Tuition Scheme provides funding towards a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs for whom such a placement is not available. The scheme also provides for early educational intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), who meet the scheme’s criteria, aged from 2.5 - 5 years before they start in school.
The applicable criteria under which children qualify for Home Tuition support are set out in Circular 0024/2023.
Home tutors are engaged by the parents/guardian of the child who is to receive tuition and the tutor has no contractual relationship with the Department of Education. As tuition takes place outside the usual school structure it is important that home tutors are qualified to provide an educational programme relevant to the sector the child is in.
Accordingly, it is a condition of the scheme that parents/legal guardians recruit a tutor who is qualified in the sector in which tuition is being provided, and is registered with the Teaching Council for the duration of the approved tuition. Where all efforts have failed to secure the services of a teacher qualified to teach in the sector concerned, the Department may consider the engagement of a person who is registered with the Teaching Council and has a primary degree (minimum Level 7 on the National Framework of Qualifications) in a relevant area, e.g. Psychology.
Tutors are paid through the Department’s fortnightly payroll system, but the frequency in which they are paid is dependent on when parents/legal guardians submit claim forms for tuition provided. As tutors can be recruited by parents to provide tuition to children from the age of 2 ½ years of age and upwards, the allocation of hours can vary per child between 2 hours and 20 hours per week. As there is no contractual relationship between the Department and the tutors, it is not possible to determine the status of tutors as full time or part time.
To date in 2023 over 750 Tutors have been paid for Home Tuition to children who are in receipt of home tuition. For the years 2020 to 2022, the number of tutors paid are as follows:
|
Year |
No. of Tutors Paid |
|
2020 |
1149 |
|
2021 |
1020 |
|
2022 |
1003 |
It should be noted that the above table does not include tutors who were paid as part of a group arrangement.
292. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education whether a person (details supplied) will receive the school transport scheme remote area grant for the 2023-24 academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32299/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to eligible students and an increase of 38% in tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.
In addition, school transport scheme services were provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine.
The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school. At post primary level, they are eligible where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre. Distance is determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, and rules have regard to ethos and language.
An eligible child for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within prescribed time limits, receive a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements. This grant is also payable for eligible children who may have to travel 3.2 kms or more to or from a designated pick up/set down point.
Bus Éireann has advised that the children referred to by the Deputy are attending their sixth nearest primary school and therefore as they are not attending their nearest primary school/centre they are not eligible under the terms of the scheme.
If families have applied to attend their nearest school in regards to ethos and language and have been advised by the school authorities that it is full, my Department will consider if students can be deemed eligible for transport to the next nearest school.
To establish that the nearest school is full parents must provide:-
• The steps taken to enrol their child in the nearest and next nearest schools
• Evidence that an application for enrolment was made within the deadline dates specified by the school and
• A letter from the School Authorities confirming that the school was full at the time of enrolment.
The family referred to by the Deputy can submit details to the School Transport Section at school_transport@education.gov.ie where officials in my Department will be happy to assist.
293. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the plans she has, if any, to review the rates of payment for the school transport scheme remote area grant in light of rising fuel prices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32300/23]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department. In the 2022/2023 school year, over 149,000 children, including over 18,000 children with special educational needs, were transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country. There has been an increase of 21% in tickets issued to eligible students and an increase of 38% in tickets issued on a concessionary basis in the 2022/23 school year compared to the 2021/22 school year.In addition, school transport scheme services have been provided for over 5,400 children who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine. The total cost of the scheme in 2022 was €338.9m.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
An eligible child for whom no transport service is available may, following an application for transport within prescribed time limits, receive a Remote Area Grant towards the cost of private transport arrangements. This grant is also payable for eligible children who may have to travel 3.2 kms or more to or from a designated pick up/set down point.
Grants are based on the distance from home to school and range from €1.30 per day to the maximum daily allowance payable of €5.10 per day per family.
As the Deputy may be aware a review of the School Transport Scheme is at an advanced stage. 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 will include an examination of current rates of grant payments.
Phase 2 of the review was completed late last year and phase 3 will be completed shortly. This final report will include recommendations on the future operation of the Department’s School Transport Scheme. Once approved by Government, it is planned that the review will be published.
