Written Answers Nos. 222-229
222. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education when she will publish the review of the school transport service; the recommendations contained in the report that will be operational for the start of the 2024-2025 school year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3450/24]
View answerThe School Transport Scheme is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the 2022/23 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 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.
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 scheme, children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Any children who do not meet these criteria are deemed not eligible, or otherwise known as concessionary applicants, and are allocated a ticket based on the availability of a seat when all eligible children have been catered for.
Undoubtedly, the School Transport Scheme is of huge importance to families, the review has been conducted with a view to examining the current scheme, its broader effectiveness, and sustainability and to ensure it services students and their families adequately. Considering how to best maximise the benefits now and into the future has been a significant factor in the ongoing review of the Scheme which commenced in February 2021.
Following phase 1 of the review, Temporary Alleviation Measures (TAMS) were introduced at post-primary level and are being continued for the current school year. Under these measures, which were initially introduced in 2019, transport is provided where there is a route in operation and where capacity exists for concessionary post-primary pupils who are eligible for transport to their nearest school and are attending their second nearest school and who applied and paid on time.
The school transport scheme has been in operation for over 55 years, since its establishment in 1967, and this review is one of the most extensive investigations that has been carried out into the Scheme since then.
There has been an extensive stakeholder engagement process, including consultation with parents, students, providers, and other key stakeholders, as part of this engagement we consulted with families who use the scheme, who would like to use the scheme and also with young people with special educational needs and mainstream students. The results from the stakeholder engagement with parents and children illustrated the importance of school transport to families with most indicating it is a safe and reliable service which helps families to live and work in rural Ireland. Another important finding of the stakeholder engagement process was that the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme supports many children in attending specialist school placements which they may otherwise may not be able to attend.
An analysis of school transport schemes in other jurisdictions was also conducted as part of this stakeholder engagement and review process including the EU, the UK, the United States and Australia. This research and analysis outlined the evidence in terms of the need for a school transport service in an Irish context compared to some comparative countries as well as an analysis of the costs to users of school transport services in some other jurisdictions.
The Technical Working Group and the Steering Group have recently completed their work on the final report of the review. This final report includes recommendations on the future operation of the scheme. The report is being submitted by the Steering Group for my consideration.
I am aware that this review is much-awaited, it is recognised that there are improvements which need to be made to the scheme and I know the importance of doing so. I expect to be in a position shortly to bring the review to government, and further to government approval, the review will be published.
223. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education the reason for the delay by her Department in the progression of a new secondary school (details supplied) in County Clare; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3456/24]
View answerMy Department has approved the provision of a new school building for the school referred to by the Deputy. My Department is satisfied that the accommodation to be provided for 400 pupils plus provision for Special Education Needs classes will cater for the long term needs of the school.
This project requires the provision of a new site. A number of potential site options have been identified and these are currently under consideration. Given the commercial sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this time.
224. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education how she plans to respond to a judgment (details supplied); what guidance she received in preparing this planned response; what guidance has been provided to schools on the back of the ruling; if she has engaged with the NSCE on the back of this ruling; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3459/24]
View answer225. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education about the assessment of children with special needs; if she is aware of concerns around the devolution of the legislative responsibility to schools; what stakeholders she engaged with; if she will report on these interactions; what factors led to the decision to devolve responsibility; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3460/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 224 and 225 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the Assessment of Need (AON) process is provided for under the Disability Act 2005 and is under the remit of the Health Service Executive (HSE). Following on from a court ruling in October 2021 there is now a legal obligation on the education system to assist the HSE as part of the HSE’s Assessment of Need Process. Assessment Officers working under the remit of the HSE are charged with organising the Assessment of Need. The Assessment Officer coordinates and completes the Assessment Report and makes the determination as to whether or not a child or young person meets the definition of disability contained in the Act. If the HSE Assessment Officer forms the opinion that there may be a need for an education service to be provided to an applicant, they will request the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to nominate a person with the appropriate expertise to assist in carrying out the assessment of education needs.
The NCSE is obliged to nominate a person with appropriate expertise to assist in the education assessment process. Where the child is enrolled in a school, the Education of Persons with Special Education Needs Act (EPSEN) 2004 names the principal as the person the NCSE should contact.
The Department and the NCSE have worked intensively to ensure that the process put in place to support the educational component of the AON fulfils legal obligations and is one that is rooted in existing assessment practices in schools. This involved extensive formal and informal consultation with education stakeholders and trialling the approach in schools
As the Deputy will be aware the outcome of the judicial review cases relating to the process that is in place to provide a report on the assessment of education needs as part of the wider HSE’s Assessment of Need process was received on the 12th January 2024. I also wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not comment on individual Court cases.
Notwithstanding this I wish to inform the Deputy that this decision relates to the assessment of needs system established by the HSE arising from the Disability Act 2005 and specifically the requirement for an educational component in the assessment process. A separate component was established in order to comply with the assessment process from an educational perspective, and it is this element that was being challenged in the Courts.
My Department is carefully considering the detailed judgement, including legal advice on the implications of the judgment. My Department will continue to engage with the NCSE, the HSE and the full range of education stakeholders to ensure that we have a robust and legally sound process and will also need to give detailed consideration to the implications of the ruling for our schools, our services and for our students. In conclusion I wish to reassure the Deputy that this Government will continue to support children with special educational needs and work with all stakeholders to ensure an appropriate education is provided for these children.
226. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled permanent teaching positions in primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3461/24]
View answer227. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled permanent teaching positions in post-primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3462/24]
View answer228. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled fixed term teaching positions in post-primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3463/24]
View answer229. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled fixed term teaching positions in primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-3023 and 2023-3024 school years, broken down by county in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3464/24]
View answer230. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled maternity cover teaching positions in primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, broken down, by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3465/24]
View answer231. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education the number of unfilled maternity cover teaching positions in post-primary schools for the 2020-2021, 2021-2022, 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, broken down by county, in tabular form; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [3466/24]
View answerI propose to take Questions Nos. 226 to 231, inclusive, together.
The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for individual school authorities, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24 of the Education Act 1998 (as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012). In that regard there are more than 3,700 individual employers (boards of management of primary schools and post primary schools, as well as ETBs).
While my Department does not collect data on the recruitment by individual employers, an analysis of the Department’s payroll system is being undertaken to generate statistics on the teacher workforce across the country for the 2023-2024 school year and will use this for reporting on workforce statistics going forward. This will include statistics on the Full Time Equivalents (FTE), permanent and fixed contracts, with breakdowns possible by County. This work began recently and is ongoing, the relevant data for 2023-2024 is expected to be available in the near future.
Statistical information on the headcount of teachers is already produced in a similar way, and is available on My Departments website www.gov.ie/en/publication/c97fbd-teacher-statistics/.
These statistics are extracted from the mentioned payroll databases using a single extract (30th June) each year and includes contracted and casual teachers.
