Written Answers Nos. 81-100
81. Deputy Gary Gannon asked the Minister for Education the number of new special needs assistants who were hired since 2022; and if there is an action plan outlining how the1,200 additional SNA posts provided for in Budget 2024 will be filled. [45064/23]
View answerI would like to thank the Deputy for the question and would like to advise the following:
Enabling children with special educational needs to receive an education 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 has been substantially increased by over 10% on 2022, meaning that for 2023 my department will spend over €2.6 billion on special education. Further progress has been made in Budget 2024 where 26% of my department’s budget will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs, representing a 5% increase on Budget 2023.
This level of educational funding and support is unprecedented and represents in excess of 26% of the department’s total allocation for 2024.
This includes funding to support children with special educational needs in mainstream classes; funding for new special classes and new special school places; additional special educational teachers, special needs assistants (SNAs) and funding for the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS).
In 2023, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 686 teachers and a further 1,194 SNAs and in 2024 a further 744 teachers, and 1,126 SNAs will be added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs.
This will mean there will be close to 20,000 teachers and over 21,000 SNAs working in the area of special education. Together we will have over 40,000 qualified and committed people in our schools who are focused wholly and exclusively on supporting children with special educational needs.
The NCSE has the responsibility for planning and coordinating school supports for children with special educational needs.
SNAs play a central role in the successful inclusion of students with additional and significant care needs into mainstream education, special classes and special schools ensuring that these students can access education to enable them to achieve their best outcomes and reach their full potential.
SNAs are allocated to schools as a school based resource and not to individual children. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated.
It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
SNAs are not allocated to individual children but to schools as a school based resource. The deployment of SNAs within schools is a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management of the school. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated.
It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
The school can apply to the NCSE for a review of its SNA allocation if it is insufficient to meet the needs of its students.
Detailed information on the NCSE Exceptional Review process is published on the NCSE website. ncse.ie/application-for-sna-exceptional-review.
The Department does not have a role in making individual school determinations and the school should liaise with the NCSE directly in the event that additional supports are required.
The NCSE have published the SNA allocations for the 2023/24 school year. For ease of reference these allocations are broken down by school type and are available on the NCSE's website at: www.ncse.ie/set-hours-and-sna-allocations
At the end of 2021, 18,003 SNA posts had been allocated. It is estimated there will be 20,406 SNAs by year end 2023, this is an increase of 2,403 posts.
This allocation of SNAs is to meet the care needs of pupils in 2024 and will enable the establishment of new special classes, creation of new places in special schools, and support children in mainstream classes for the 2024/25 school year.
My department and the NCSE are committed to delivering an education system that is of the highest quality and where every child and young person feels valued and is actively supported and nurtured to reach their full potential.
82. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach the number of small and medium enterprises (less than or equal to 250 persons engaged) which closed in each year 2010 to 2023, in tabular form. [44907/23]
View answerThe Central Statistics Office (CSO) has responsibility for collating information on the number of enterprises which close each year as part of its work in developing and maintaining the Central Business Register. The register is developed using data provided by the Companies Registration Office (CRO) and the Revenue Commissioners.
An enterprise closure (referred to as an enterprise death) is subject to a number of conditions being met:
-It involves the dissolution of a combination of production factors e.g. cessation of trading;
-It does not arise where there is a change in activity;
-There can be no involvement of other enterprises i.e. mergers, takeovers, break-ups or restructuring within a set of enterprises.
Data for the years to 2010 to 2020 is included in tabular form below in Table 1. These data do not include the activities of holding companies (NACE K64.20). As an enterprise death is only counted if it is not reactivated, the data for 2020 are provisional pending finalisation of the data for 2021, i.e. that the enterprise remains closed.
Guidance on NACE sectors and the associated descriptions is included in Table 2 for reference.
Table 1: Number of Small and Medium Enterprises (less than or equal to 250 persons engaged) which closed each year, 2010 to 2019
|
Year |
Number |
|
2010 |
23,586 |
|
2011 |
21,034 |
|
2012 |
22,459 |
|
2013 |
25,342 |
|
2014 |
21,247 |
|
2015 |
22,088 |
|
2016 |
20,276 |
|
2017* |
23,026 |
|
2018* |
23,688 |
|
2019* |
24,420 |
|
2020** |
30,518 |
Note: Includes NACE Sectors B – N (excluding K64.20)
Note: * Break in series from 2017
Note: ** Preliminary data only
Table 2: NACE Sectors reference
|
Sector |
Description |
|
B-E |
Industry |
|
F |
Construction |
|
G |
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles |
|
H |
Transportation and storage |
|
I |
Accommodation and food service activities |
|
J |
Information and communication |
|
K-L |
Financial, insurance and real estate activities |
|
M |
Professional, scientific and technical activities |
|
N |
Administrative and support service activities |
|
K64.20 (Excluded) |
Activities of holding companies |
83. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the total number of persons currently employed in the manufacturing sector throughout the country; and the extent to which this number has fluctuated over the past ten years [44576/23]
View answer84. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Taoiseach the total number of persons currently employed in the services sector throughout the country; and the extent to which this number has fluctuated over the past ten years [44577/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 83 and 84 together.
The Labour Force Survey (LFS) is the official source of employment estimates in the State. The most recent figures available are for Q2 2023.
The LFS sectoral employment figures are based on the EU NACE Rev. 2 classification.
The table below shows the number of persons aged 15 - 89 years in employment (ILO) in the NACE Rev.2 Economic Sector C (Manufacturing) and Sector G-U (Total Services), Q2 2013 – Q2 2023.
There were 216,100 persons employed in Sector C Manufacturing in Q2 2013. There were 277,800 persons employed in Sector C Manufacturing in Q2 2023. This is an increase of 61,700 persons or 28.6% over the period.
There were 1,479,000 persons employed in Sector G-U Total Services in Q2 2013. There were 2,051,800 persons employed in Sector G-U Total Services in Q2 2023. This is an increase of 572,800 persons or 38.7% over the period.
Number of persons aged 15 - 89 years in employment (ILO) Q2 2013 - 2023 '000
|
- |
Q2 2013 |
Q2 2014 |
Q2 2015 |
Q2 2016 |
Q2 2017 |
Q2 2018 |
Q2 2019 |
Q2 2020 |
Q2 2021 |
Q2 2022 |
Q2 2023 |
|
Sector C Manufacturing |
216.1 |
216.4 |
231.5 |
247.3 |
248.1 |
243.8 |
246.2 |
257.2 |
280.9 |
282.3 |
277.8 |
|
Sector G-U Total services |
1479.0 |
1520.4 |
1558.5 |
1608.8 |
1653.1 |
1713.6 |
1760.3 |
1623.2 |
1797.2 |
1951.3 |
2051.8 |
|
Source: Labour Force Survey (LFS), Central Statistics Office, Ireland. Data may be subject to future revision. Data may be subject to sampling or other survey errors, which are greater in respect of smaller values or estimates of change. Reference period: q1=Jan-Mar, q2=Apr-Jun, q3=Jul-Sep, q4=Oct-Dec. |
85. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Taoiseach the bilateral meetings he had during his recent visit to the United States. [45281/23]
View answerI visited the US on 17-23 September, primarily to attend the UN General Assembly High Level week. During this week, I took the opportunity to have a number of bilateral meetings.
I met with UN Secretary General António Guterres who thanked Ireland for its unswerving support for the UN. We discussed the Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals and we agreed the urgent need for the global community to redouble efforts to achieve the Goals by 2030. The Secretary General and I also discussed Russia’s war of aggression on Ukraine, including Russia’s decision to pull out of the Black Sea grain initiative which the Secretary General had helped to put in place. We also agreed the importance of holding those responsible for war crimes to account. The Secretary General also spoke about the UN Summit on the Future to be held next year, and I agreed with him on the need for reform to make the UN, including the Security Council, fit for purpose for today’s changed world. I offered Ireland’s support and assistance in advancing this work. I took the opportunity to recall the tragic loss of Private Sean Rooney and the importance to his family and colleagues of establishing the full facts of the case.
I also met with Moldovan President Maia Sandu whom I re-assured of Ireland’s continued backing for Moldova’s journey towards EU Membership. I had brief bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister of Qatar, with whom Ireland co-facilitated the Political Declaration for the Summit on the SDG, and with the Prime Minister of Samoa.
I had the opportunity for a short conversation with President Biden at the reception he hosted, together with First Lady, Dr Jill Biden, for Leaders attending United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week. I updated him on developments in relation to Northern Ireland, including recent British legislation on legacy cases, setting out our deep concerns on its implications; and on efforts to restore the institutions under the Good Friday Agreement. I thanked him for his continuing interest in the peace process, including his appointment of Joe Kennedy III as Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland. As on previous occasions when we have met, the President was well-informed and offered his assistance, and that of his Administration, whenever it would be helpful.
While in the US, I took the opportunity to travel briefly to Florida where I formally opened Ireland’s new Consulate General in Miami and met a number of local political leaders, including the State Secretary of the State of Florida, the Mayor of Miami-Dade county, the Chair of the Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners and the Mayor of Miami.
86. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Taoiseach further to Parliamentary Question No. 133 of 3 October 2023, if he will provide detail on the nature of the data breaches suffered by his Department; the severity of the breaches; if all individuals whose information was compromised were notified of the breach; and if the Data Protection Commission was notified of all data breaches. [45344/23]
View answerIn reply to Parliamentary Question No. 133 of 3 October, 2023 the Deputy was notified of two instances of a data breach identified within the Department during the past decade.
The case in 2016 arose on foot of a complaint by an individual made to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) in 2017. The complaint concerned an allegation that a breach had occurred by way of the unauthorised disclosure of personal information by the Department in correspondence to two other public bodies. The complainant declined the offer of an amicable resolution, including an apology, and so the DPC issued a formal decision in 2020.
The incident in 2022 resulted from a misdirected email (due to a small typographic error in the address) which attached correspondence relating to an individual which also contained personal data. Given the nature of the personal data and the likelihood that the recipient account was dormant, the risk of harm to the individual’s rights and freedoms was therefore assessed to be low. Nevertheless, the Department reported the incident to the DPC as soon as the error was discovered. The individual (data subject) was also notified and apologised to.
87. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if Shannon Airport will now be used as a transit hub for military support coming from the USA to be used to assist Israel in its illegal campaign in Gaza, where a siege has been installed, with the civilian population denied water, electricity, food and fuel (details supplied). [45227/23]
View answerI have unreservedly condemned the attack by Hamas on Israel. I am also deeply concerned at the unfolding situation in Gaza. I have made it clear that, under international law, Israel has a right to defend itself from attack, but this must be done within the parameters of international humanitarian law.
In relation to the use of Shannon airport and the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's traditional policy of military neutrality is not inconsistent with military aircraft of other states being allowed under the Air Navigation (Foreign Military Aircraft) Order, 1952, to land in Ireland under certain circumstances. However, foreign military aircraft are only permitted to land in the State if they meet strict conditions, including that the aircraft is unarmed, and carries no arms, ammunition or explosives; that it is not engaged in intelligence gathering; and that it does not form part of a military operation or exercise.
Furthermore the Air Navigation (Carriage of Munitions of War, Weapons and Dangerous Goods) Order, 1973 prohibits the carriage of munitions of war on civil aircraft, including on troop-carrying civil aviation operators, through Irish airspace or Irish airports, unless an exemption has been granted by the Minister for Transport. Statistics on such exemptions are published on the Department of Transport’s website.
88. Deputy Kathleen Funchion asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to explain the rationale in section 14 of a child passport renewal stating that a guardians/parents signature is not required when the child is married; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44681/23]
View answerAll passport applications are subject to the provisions of the Passports Act 2008, as amended. Section 14(1) of The Act provides that, before issuing a passport to a child, the Minister must be satisfied on reasonable grounds that each of the child’s guardians consents to the issuing of that passport.
The term ‘child’ is defined at Section 2 of the Passports Act 2008 as meaning a person ‘who is under 18 years of age other than a person who is or has been married’.
As a person under the age of 18 years, who is or has been married, is not regarded as a ‘child’ for the purposes of section 14(1) of the 2008 Act the consent of their guardians is not required for the issuance of a passport.
89. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if consular assistance will be provided to a person (details supplied). [44736/23]
View answerOfficials from the Department of Foreign Affairs have been in contact with the solicitor of the citizen in question and remain available for further engagement.
The Department of Foreign Affairs’ Consular Assistance Charter (www.dfa.ie/travel/assistance-abroad/consular-assistance-charter/) sets out the assistance my Department can provide to Irish citizens in difficulty overseas. Citizens requiring assistance while travelling can contact the Department of Foreign Affairs through the closet Irish Embassy or Consulate (www.dfa.ie/embassies/irish-embassies-abroad/) or by calling the Consular Assistance Unit on +353 1 408 2527.
90. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs to confirm that Hamas is a designated terrorist organisation in Ireland; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44757/23]
View answerHamas is listed by the European Union as a terrorist organisation, unanimously agreed by all Member States. I again unreservedly condemn the recent attack by Hamas on Israel. The deliberate and systematic targeting of civilians can never be justified. The taking of hostages, including young children and the elderly is unconscionable and I call for them to be released immediately.
91. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the dates where the Irish Consulate General or Vice Consul based in the North of England has met with the Mayor of Newcastle to date in 2023, in tabular form [44824/23]
View answerSince the opening of Ireland's Consulate General in Manchester 2021, the Consul and Vice Consul have worked actively to promote and advance the diverse and deep rooted connections between Ireland and the North of England. This includes engaging directly with a range of stakeholders and local representatives, including elected representatives as appropriate.
The Lord Mayor of Newcastle is an honorary position that changes every year. Neither the Consul General nor the Vice Consul, based in Manchester, have met with the Lord Mayor of Newcastle in 2023.
An official meeting took place with the Lord Mayor of Newcastle in May 2022. The Consul General also met with the Metro Mayor of North Tyne in December 2021 and in May 2022.
92. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason it is not possible for an initial assessment of paper based passport applications to be done upon receipt of such applications so that applicants can be notified of missing or incorrect documentation in a timely manner; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44865/23]
View answer93. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the reason that when a person submits a paper-based passport application and is notified of missing documentation, they are returned to the back of queue for processing when they submit the correct documentation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [44866/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together.
The peak busy season for passports in 2023, has now passed and demand forecasts indicate that the Passport Service will issue around 1 million passports this year.The Passport Service is successfully meeting high demand for passports and has issued over 830,000 passports to date in 2023. Between 2,000 and 3,500 passports are being issued every day. All turnaround times are at their target level and there are no backlogs. The Passport Service Customer Service Hub is responding to an average of 10,000 queries per week on phones and webchat.
The turnaround times outlined on my Department's website apply to fully complete and correct applications, and that they are estimates based on current average processing times. Applications that are incomplete or incorrect will take longer.
The current passport processing times are: :
• Online simple adult renewal - 10 working days
• Online child/complex adult renewal - 15 working days
• Online first time application, adult or child - 20 working days
• Post Passport via An Post, adult or child - 8 weeks
All passport applications require supporting documentation to some degree, whether it is a photo uploaded online for an adult's renewal application, or documents necessary to validate the identity and entitlement to Irish citizenship of a first time applicant. In the cases of children's applications, witnessed identity and consent forms are required to ensure that guardians have consented to the issuance of a passport for the child.
In cases where insufficient or incorrect documents are received by the Passport Service, every effort is made to let the applicant know as soon as possible. It is currently not possible for the Passport Service to address issues with applications earlier in the process due to the volume of applications that are being received. Applications enter a queue and are checked in order of date received.
The Passport Service has had a system in place since 2022 whereby applications do not go to the back of the queue following a request for further documents. When the Passport Service receives the required additional documentation from the applicant, the application is prioritised for checking.
In cases of genuine emergency, applicants can contact the dedicated Travel emergency team that work to expedite passport applications in cases such as a need for urgent medical treatment overseas or the death of a family member abroad. Travel Emergency can be contacted through the Customer Service Hub.
The Passport Service also offers an Urgent Appointment Service whereby applicants who need to renew their passport urgently can book an appointment at either the Dublin or Cork passport offices. The Dublin passport office can issue a passport within 1 or 4 days, while the Cork passport office can issue a passport in 4 days. Applicants who have already submitted an application but find that they need to travel urgently while it is being processed can make an appointment through the Urgent Appointment Service and their original application will be cancelled once their passport is issued.
Passport Online is now by far the quickest, easiest and cheapest way to apply for a passport. It is a multi-award-winning online platform, which places the Irish Passport Service amongst the most innovative in the world.
In recent weeks, the Passport Service rolled out Passport Online for first time applicants to an additional 35 countries, including Turkey, Argentina and Iraq. This means that Passport Online can now be used by 99.9% of all passport applicants worldwide.
The Passport Service continues to be in an excellent position to meet the demand forecast for the remainder of this year. I would ask the Deputy to encourage your constituents to apply online for the quickest, cheapest and most efficient service.
94. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs when he will respond to correspondence sent to him (details supplied) in relation to employment permits; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45035/23]
View answerA response has now been issued to the correspondence under reference.
95. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the position regarding Ireland’s efforts to promote the safety of civilians on both sides in the ongoing Israeli/Palestinian conflict at an EU level; how these diplomatic efforts are being carried out in practical terms; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45106/23]
View answerIreland is making every effort to promote the safety of civilians in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory, in our discussions with including at EU level.
At the extraordinary Foreign Affairs Council on 10 October, I, alongside my EU counterparts, discussed the crisis in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. I underlined the importance of principled and collective action by the EU and its Member States and the need for the EU to act for the protection of civilians and adherence to international law.
Ireland will continue to put protection of civilians at the heart of our objectives and work towards de-escalation of the current situation. We have a moral and political obligation to chart a way towards a future in which these events cannot be repeated and to strive towards an international effort that can deliver a just and sustainable peace.
96. Deputy John Brady asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs the status of a passport application (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45157/23]
View answerWith regard to the specific application about which the Deputy has enquired, this application is within the current turnaround times and has not yet reached its issue by date.
I encourage the Deputy to advise his constituents of the advantages of using the substantially more efficient online service, which is now used by more than 90% of applicants worldwide.
97. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 140 of 3 October 2023, if he will provide detail on the nature of the data breaches suffered by his Department; the severity of the breaches; if all individuals whose information was compromised were notified of the breach; if the Data Protection Commission was notified of all data breaches; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [45336/23]
View answerMy Department necessarily collects, processes, and stores significant volumes of personal data from our citizens, staff, and service providers. In particular, the effective delivery of passport and consular services for Irish citizens at home and abroad is a central component of the Department's work and necessitates the processing of personal data.
My Department endeavours at all times to safeguard the personal data that it processes and takes its responsibilities in this regard very seriously. Data breaches are reported to the Data Protection Commission (DPC) and were deemed low or medium risk to the data subject. The main cause of these data breaches was human error. Examples of such an error would include incorrectly addressed correspondence issued by post and email. The remainder of the breaches were mainly attributable to instances where documents that were correctly addressed and dispatched were subsequently lost in transit through the postal system.
In accordance with the Department’s obligations and in line with good customer service, people are routinely notified in the event of a breach involving their data, except in cases where the breach is deemed to pose no risk for them. In accordance with the legislation data breaches that are assessed and deemed unlikely to result in a risk to the rights and freedoms of natural persons are not required to be reported to the DPC.
98. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with the Government of Saudi Arabia and its representatives since taking office. [45358/23]
View answerIn September, both Foreign Minister Prince Faisal and I attended an event en marge of the UN General Assembly in New York, though we did not have the opportunity for a substantive bilateral exchange.
I hope to have such a meeting in advance of or at COP 28 in Dubai in December.
Our Embassy in Riyadh is active in representing our views to the Saudi Government, maintaining contact with the Irish community, and promoting Irish economic activity in Saudi Arabia and the Gulf area.
99. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with the Government of Israel and its representatives since 7 October 2023. [45359/23]
View answer100. Deputy Ivana Bacik asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will report on his engagements with Palestinian diplomats since 7 October 2023. [45360/23]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 99 and 100 together.
I spoke with the Ambassador of Israel and conveyed my sympathies on behalf of the Government and people of Ireland for the horrific attack by Hamas. On 8 October, I wrote to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen to express our deep condolences. I visited Israel, the occupied Palestinian territory and Jordan just one month ago. It is scarcely imaginable how the lives of so many people that I met during that visit will be irrevocably scarred by this violence.
I spoke to Palestinian Foreign Minister Riad Malki on 9 October. Minister Malki updated me on the situation on the ground, including in the West Bank, and regional efforts to diffuse the conflict. I underlined my deep shock at the scenes witnessed, underlining the importance of international efforts to address the conflict and the need to chart a way towards a future in which these events cannot be repeated. Minister Malki and I agreed on the grave risk of regional escalation that early de-escalation is essential to avoid a catastrophic situation developing. I also spoke to Secretary General of Fatah, Jibril Rajoub, on 12 October.
Senior officials in my Department are in ongoing contact with the Israeli and Palestinian Ambassadors in Dublin.
