Written Answers Nos. 231-244
231. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of a centralised list of tutors for home tuition in the Balbriggan area for situations where a child has been allocated home tuition but cannot source a tutor; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50596/23]
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.
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.
As set out in Circular 0024/2023*, it is the responsibility of the parent/legal guardian to source a tutor at the earliest possible opportunity to allow for applications for registration/vetting to be made by the tutor to the Teaching Council, if necessary. This Department does not keep lists of tutors available to carry out home tuition, however to help parents source a home tutor for this scheme in their local area, the Irish Primary Principals' Network (IPPN) has created a Home Tuition Noticeboard for Parents to help them source a suitable candidates. This noticeboard is available on www.educationposts.ie . It may also be helpful to contact local schools in the first instance, or alternatively, the Department is aware that many parents use education provider websites to advertise for tutors or indeed place advertisements in local newspapers or on shop/community notice boards.
*The following is a link to Circular 0024/2023: www.gov.ie/en/circular/67f37-home-tuition-grant-scheme-20232024-special-education-component/ .
232. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry is on the correct pay scale. [50658/23]
View answerI wish to inform the Deputy that the payment of incremental credit awarded to the teacher will be paid on the 7th December 2023. This payment will include any arrears due.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education if an application for school transport will be reconsidered in the case of a person (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50683/23]
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.
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.
Over 134,000 tickets have issued for the 2023/2024 school year which is an increase of 12% when compared with the start of the 2022/2023 school year. The number of tickets issued so far has already exceeded the total number of tickets issued in the 2022/23 school year. There has been an overall increase in both applications and tickets issued for the 2023/2024 school year in comparison to the 2022/2023 school year.
Under the current terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible where they live no less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest primary school having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time were accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Bus Eireann has advised that the children referred to by the Deputy are eligible for school transport, however, the family applied and paid late for transport for the 23/24 school year.
Bus Eireann further advise that there are seats available on an existing service that the children referred to by the Deputy can be accommodated on and their local office will liaise directly with the family in this regard.
234. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education for an update on progress and a timeline for the development of a permanent school building for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50732/23]
View answerThe building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will deliver a new 1,000 pupil post-primary school and accommodation, including 4 classrooms, for children with special educational needs. The project is in early architectural planning which involves site surveys, school design stages and the preparation of statutory applications.
It is anticipated that the planning application for the permanent school will be lodged in Q4 2023. My Department must then await a decision on planning from the local authority. A notification to grant planning can be received after 8 weeks, although there is an opening for the Local Authority to request further information (RFI). There is always also the possibility of an appeal to An Bord Pleanála (ABP).
As with any school building project progressing to tender, this can only occur once planning has been secured. Tender processes are currently taking approximately 8 to 12 months.
My Department will continue to liaise with the school and its patron body in relation to the progress of the project and the school's interim accommodation pending delivery of the permanent school.
235. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update and a timeframe for an extension to a school (details supplied) existing of an additional modular classroom which was approved in March 2023; the reason for the delay in responding to the school regarding the matter; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50733/23]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme from the school in question.
The purpose of the Additional Schools Accommodation (ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream and special education classroom accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year and where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
I can assure the Deputy that my Department is working to ensure that there is appropriate school accommodation in place to meet the school place needs of all children. In the first instance, this is focused on ensuring that the use of existing school accommodation capacity is fully optimised. Where additional capacity is required this can be provided by means of modular accommodation where accelerated delivery is required, or by means of traditional construction projects.
I can confirm that officials in my Department have been liaising with the school in question in relation to its application and its accommodation requirements. The Department is additionally cognisant of the long-term needs of the school, and across the local area.
236. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education how individuals can avail of the additional supports announced by her Department on 27 June 2023 for survivors of abuse in industrial schools, reformatories and related institutions, in areas including health, advocacy and education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50737/23]
View answerAs the Deputy will be aware, last June Government approved proposals for the delivery of a package of ongoing supports and services for survivors of abuse in residential institutions, relating to health, education, advocacy and trauma-informed practice. This package of supports was developed following consideration of the final report of the survivor-led Consultative Forum, along with other relevant reports and submissions.
With regard to health supports, Government has approved the provision of an enhanced package of health supports and services to survivors in Ireland, similar to the supports previously provided to survivors of the Magdalen Laundries and which are to be provided to former residents of Mother and Baby Homes. This is commonly referred to as an “enhanced medical card”. Survivors living abroad will be able to avail of a payment of €3,000 in lieu of the enhanced medical card to support their health needs. This is the same approach taken in respect of the Mother and Baby Institutions Payment Scheme.
With regard to education, the Department will establish a new scheme involving the payment of cash grants to survivors who are engaging in further and higher education. This scheme will also ensure that survivors are not required to pay the Student Contribution Charge where this would otherwise apply.
The delivery of both the health and education supports outlined above will require the passage of legislation, the General Scheme of which is currently undergoing Pre-Legislative Scrutiny by the Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science. It is my intention to progress the passage of the legislation as quickly as possible.
Regarding advocacy, the Forum’s report identified a requirement for signposting and advocacy for access to public services. My Department is working with Sage Advocacy, an independent advocacy organisation with a strong track record in provided advocacy supports to older and vulnerable individuals, to establish a specific advocacy service for survivors which will assist them in engaging with and accessing relevant services. The development of this arrangement is at an advanced stage and it is expected that this service will be in place very shortly.
237. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education what drug awareness programmes are run in primary and secondary schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50756/23]
View answerMy Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in the area of health. The aim is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to make the right choices for healthy lifestyles throughout their lives. Schools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues. This is mainly done through the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme.
The importance of making healthy choices is one that is reflected in curricular developments, in particular the new Junior Cycle SPHE specification. That was published on 16 May, and has been introduced for first years in all schools from September this year.
The Learning Outcomes include that students should be able to discuss societal, cultural and economic influences affecting young people when it comes to making healthy choices about smoking, alcohol and other addictive substances, to discuss the physical, social, emotional and legal consequences of using addictive substances (both immediate and long-term), and to consider scenarios where, for example, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, food and electronic devices might be used to cope with unpleasant feelings or stress, and discuss possible healthy ways of coping.
It can be noted that work is ongoing to update the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle and a draft specification was published for consultation in July this year, with the consultation running until 3rd November last.
The Know the Score programme is a substance misuse programme published in 2019 for Transition Year or 5th year pupils. It was jointly developed by the HSE, my Department and the Drugs and Alcohol Task Forces. It is the first national evidence-based resource on alcohol and drugs for Senior Cycle students. The overall aim of the resource is to enable young people to make conscious and informed decisions about alcohol and drugs. I am pleased to say that an evaluation of the programme is being undertaken by the HSE, and Trinity College Dublin, will inform the further development of strategies for effective implementation and scale-up of school based prevention programmes and resources.
238. Deputy Mick Barry asked the Minister for Education the steps she will take to increase awareness and resources in schools in relation to dealing with the use of cannabis-based vapes among students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50757/23]
View answerMy Department works together with the Department of Health and other agencies to support students in the area of health. The aim is to equip students with the skills and knowledge to enable them to make the right choices for healthy lifestyles throughout their lives. Schools have a role to play in supporting their students to develop the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed choices when faced with a range of difficult issues. This is mainly done through the Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme.
The importance of making healthy choices is one that is reflected in curricular developments, in particular the new Junior Cycle SPHE specification. That was published on 16 May last, and has been introduced for first years in all schools from September this year.
The Learning Outcomes include that students should be able to investigate how unhealthy products including vapes are marketed and advertised, the consequences of using addictive substances whether now or in the long-term, and indeed skills and strategies to help them make informed choices to support their health and well-being.
In the consultation undertaken by the NCCA, both teachers and students identified that vaping is a growing and serious problem among teenagers and including this topic was seen as very important.
It can be noted that work is ongoing to update the SPHE specification for Senior Cycle and a draft specification was published for consultation in July this year, with the consultation running until 3rd November last.
Advice from the HSE in relation to vaping in schools was published and issued by this Department to all school principals at the end of May.
239. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education if a school (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive solar panels; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50779/23]
View answerDear Deputy,
It is great to see the school to which you refer has such interest in climate action.
Budget 2023 provided for the provision of funding from the Climate Action Fund (CAF), which is under the remit of the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications, in relation to the provision of Photovoltaic Panels in schools up to 6KW output.
This is really positive news for our schools and will assist with their energy needs and costs along with supporting the decarbonisation of our school buildings.
The Department has been engaging regularly with the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications to prepare for the roll-out of this programme.
The scheme will fund 6 kilowatts of roof-mounted solar PV, which equates to approximately 16 solar panels. Connection to the grid will be included, to allow unused solar energy to feed to the grid when schools are closed. This will enable schools to be compensated for renewable exports to the grid.
Monitoring software will also be provided to each school, to allow review and discussion of the energy generated each day for staff and students.
The department is pleased to advise that it remains on track to launch the first phase of the scheme later this year. Officials from the Department of Education and the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications are currently working to finalise all details of the scheme and hope to be in a position to make a more detailed announcement in the coming weeks.
240. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to concerns related to a shortage of secondary school places in an area (details supplied); if her Department officials can liaise with school management in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [50790/23]
View answerIn order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas and uses a Geographical Information System, using data from a range of sources, including Child Benefit and school enrolment data, to identify where the pressure for school places across the country will arise and where additional school accommodation is needed at primary and post-primary level. For school planning purposes, the wider Greystones are is located in the Greystones school planning area.
Major new residential developments in a school planning area have the potential to alter demand in that area. In that regard, as part of the demographic exercises, my Department engages with each of the local authorities to obtain the up-to-date information on significant new residential development in each area. This is necessary to ensure that schools infrastructure planning is keeping pace with demographic changes.
Where demographic data indicates that additional provision is required, the delivery of such additional provision is dependent on the particular circumstances of each case and may, be provided through:
• Utilising existing unused capacity within a school or schools,
• Extending the capacity of a school or schools,
• Provision of a new school or schools.
As the Deputy will be aware, in April 2018, the Government announced plans to establish a new post-primary school for the Kilcoole and Greystones school planning area as a regional solution and the school, Greystones Community College, opened in Greystones for the 2020/2021 school year.
My Department is satisfied that with the establishment of Greystones Community College as a new regional school for the Greystones/Kilcoole area and with the completion of the building project at St. David’s Secondary School, Greystones that the resulting additional permanent accommodation will be sufficient to cater for future demand in the area in the short to medium term.
The requirement for additional school places is kept under on-going review and work on an updated exercise to assess needs for the coming years, including those which may arise in the Greystones school planning area, is at an advanced stage. Additionally, my Department will continue to liaise with Wicklow County Council in respect of its review of the County Development Plan with a view to identifying any potential long-term school accommodation requirements across the county.
241. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education how many staff members in her Department have received training in cyber security in the past three years; what types of cyber security training programmes have been conducted; if she will provide details of these programmes; and of the staff trained in cyber security, how many have obtained accredited cyber security qualifications. [50794/23]
View answerMy Department regularly runs cybersecurity awareness campaigns for all staff to raise awareness of the threats posed by cybercrime. All of the staff in my Department have access to cyber security awareness training on the civil service wide OneLearning, Learning Management System. In addition, ICT personnel also undertake relevant cyber security training periodically.
My Department's cyber security defences are supported by the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the national computer security incident response team, CSIRT, which provides early warnings, alerts, announcements and dissemination of information about risks and incidents to my Department.
My Department has previously been advised by the NCSC that, for security reasons, not to disclose details of its cyber security operations which could in any way compromise the Department’s information security posture. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information, which might assist malicious actors to identify potential vulnerabilities.
242. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education the expenditure on cyber security consultants and companies within her Department in the past three years; if her Department engaged in cyber security audits with outside firms in the past three years; if so, the expenditure on same; the amount her Department spent on cyber security consultants and companies in the past three years; and for a breakdown of these expenditures by year and type of service provided. [50812/23]
View answerI propose to take PQs 50812, 50830 and 50848 together.
My Department's cyber security defences are supported by the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the national computer security incident response team, CSIRT, which provides early warnings, alerts, announcements and dissemination of information about risks and incidents to my Department.
The NCSC which is located within the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, is the primary cyber security authority in the State. The NCSC provides a range of cyber security services to operators of critical national infrastructure, Government Departments and agencies.
My Department has a number of robust measures in place to protect the security of its IT systems and infrastructure. These measures are reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
My Department has previously been advised by the NCSC that, for security reasons, not to disclose details of its cyber security operations (including details of commercial relationships, audits/exercises and expenditure) which could in any way compromise the Department’s information security posture. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information, which might assist malicious actors to identify potential vulnerabilities.
243. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if there are any ongoing contracts or commitments with cyber security firms; and if details can be provided [50830/23]
View answerI propose to take PQs 50812, 50830 and 50848 together.
My Department's cyber security defences are supported by the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the national computer security incident response team, CSIRT, which provides early warnings, alerts, announcements and dissemination of information about risks and incidents to my Department.
The NCSC, which is located within the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, is the primary cyber security authority in the State. The NCSC provides a range of cyber security services to operators of critical national infrastructure, Government Departments and agencies.
My Department has a number of robust measures in place to protect the security of its IT systems and infrastructure. These measures are reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
My Department has previously been advised by the NCSC that, for security reasons, not to disclose details of its cyber security operations (including details of commercial relationships, audits/exercises and expenditure) which could in any way compromise the Department’s information security posture. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information, which might assist malicious actors to identify potential vulnerabilities.
244. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education if her Department has a policy and plan in place to address a ransomware attack and restore her Department's IT systems. [50848/23]
View answerI propose to take PQs 50812, 50830 and 50848 together.
My Department's cyber security defences are supported by the work of the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) and the national computer security incident response team, CSIRT, which provides early warnings, alerts, announcements and dissemination of information about risks and incidents to my Department.
The NCSC, which is located within the Department of Communications, Climate Action and Environment, is the primary cyber security authority in the State. The NCSC provides a range of cyber security services to operators of critical national infrastructure, Government Departments and agencies.
My Department has a number of robust measures in place to protect the security of its IT systems and infrastructure. These measures are reviewed and updated on a regular basis.
My Department has previously been advised by the NCSC that, for security reasons, not to disclose details of its cyber security operations (including details of commercial relationships, audits/exercises and expenditure) which could in any way compromise the Department’s information security posture. In particular, it is not considered appropriate to disclose any information, which might assist malicious actors to identify potential vulnerabilities.
