Written Answers Nos. 223-243
223. Deputy Réada Cronin asked the Minister for Education how her Department is liaising with the Minister for Education and the Minister of State for Special Education and Inclusion in the matter of associated services at a school (details supplied) in the context of the mooted moving of services provided by an organisation to the HSE; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9059/24]
View answerEnabling 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 and 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.
In 2023, my department spent over €2.6 billion on special education and further progress will be made this year as an additional €113 million will be dedicated to providing supports for children with special educational needs.
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 2024, the number of teaching and SNA posts in our schools will increase with an additional 744 teachers and 1,216 SNAs added to deliver up to 2,700 new places for children with special educational needs. This will mean we will have over 41,500 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.
Over the last number of years, my department and the NCSE have introduced a number of strategic initiatives to plan for and provide sufficient special class and special school places.
These initiatives are bearing fruit with almost 1,300 new special classes sanctioned and seven new special schools established over the last four years.
Matters in relation to the provision of health-related services to children with special educational needs should be generally directed to the Health Service Executive or to the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth . In relation to the provision of any services to the special school referred to by the Deputy, my Department will engage with the NCSE on this matter and issue a direct update to you shortly.
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.
224. Deputy Ciarán Cannon asked the Minister for Education for an update on her plans to deliver a modular building to accommodate the ASD unit at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9073/24]
View answerThe school to which the Deputy refers was approved a modular project under my Department's Additional School Accommodation scheme which will provide two special education needs classrooms, a Staff Room, an administrative area and a special education teaching room.
My Department is finalising the arrangements for this project and will advise the school shortly on the practical procedures for progressing the project through the various stages of architectural design and practical completion.
225. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Education if she will consider increasing the salary paid to school bus escorts as it is only 70 cent above the national minimum wage; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9113/24]
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 161,600 children, including over 135,000 pupils travelling on primary and post primary services, 19,800 pupils with special educational needs, and 6,800 pupils who have arrived to Ireland from Ukraine are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country.
The total cost of the scheme in 2023 was €382.02m.
There is a facility within the Special Educational Needs Transport Scheme for the appointment of a School Transport Escort, where a child’s care and safety needs while on school transport are such as to require the support of a School Transport Escort.
The Department of Education provides grant funding for the employment of the School Transport Escort and sets the rate of pay.
Under the Education Act 1998, the Principal/Board of Management is responsible for the operation of the school and is the employer of the School Transport Escort and therefore responsible for all employment matters relating to their School Transport Escort.
Building Momentum – a new public service agreement, 2021-2022 was agreed between Government and Unions in 2020 and was extended to run until the end of 2023. The agreement provides for a number of pay increases over the period of the agreement. This agreement only applies to public servants, and does not automatically apply beyond public servants and therefore grant funded school staff such as bus escorts employed directly by schools are not comprehended by the agreement.
However, it is recognised that School Bus Escorts play a vital role in supporting children with Special Educational Needs in their journey to and from school. The School Transport Section in the Department are currently carrying out a comprehensive review of matters as they relate to the escort and the information provided to schools. An information pack for schools is being developed and will be reviewed and updated regularly. As part of this comprehensive review the terms of employment and rate of pay for school bus escorts are also being examined, and the Department will continue to keep the rates under review.
A review of the School Transport Scheme has recently been completed by a Steering Group with high level membership of relevant Government Departments and other bodies, reflecting the importance of the scheme for access to education and other wider Government objectives. 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. 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 efficiently and effectively. The review has also given consideration to employment related matters for School Bus Escorts. Considering how to best maximise the benefits now and into the future has been a significant factor in the review of the Scheme.
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.
226. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education why a school (details supplied) is the only school in the Donegal Gaeltacht that has not been identified for DEIS funding under the refined DEIS identification model, where the Pobal deprivation index for the catchment area is worse than the average for County Donegal as a whole; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9146/24]
View answerMy Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students, including students attending Gaeltacht secondary schools, and address barriers to students achieving their potential.
Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.
In March 2022, I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme. This benefited 361 schools. The programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 260,000 students. 1 in 4 students and 30% of schools are now supported in the programme.
This expansion added an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to over €180million.
Schools that were identified for inclusion in the programme were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model, which is an objective, statistics-based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools.
The DEIS Identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification model aimed to identify those schools with the highest levels of disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school using the school’s enrolment data and national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is publicly available.
It is possible for two neighbouring schools to have a different profile in terms of proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds and the relative weighting of disadvantage apportioned in each. The designation of neighbouring schools to DEIS or non DEIS does not mean that there is no educational disadvantage present in one school but that the concentrated level of educational disadvantage of the two schools is different.
A detailed paper on the refined DEIS identification model is available on gov.ie. In accordance with Circular 0019/22 schools that were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data were provided with the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed. The DEIS appeals process was applied fairly across all appellants, the window for appeals has now closed and the results are final. The school to which the Deputy refers was unsuccessful in its appeal. My Department will continue to support schools to deliver high quality, inclusive teaching and learning to students and young learners.
The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools, including Gaeltacht primary schools. Since June 2020, and over the past four budgets, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard.
My Department recognises the need to target resources to those schools who need them most and the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to all schools to tackle educational disadvantage.
The DEIS Plan is based on the premise that in order to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of educational disadvantage, then extra resources need to be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest level of need. This will involve further development of the existing DEIS programme, to create a more dynamic resource allocation model where levels of resources more accurately follow the levels of need identified by objective data.
To support this work my Department has invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies Project to review the current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland. This review is ongoing and the OECD team estimate that the review will be complete in Q2 of 2024. This review will provide an independent expert opinion on the current resource allocation model for the DEIS programme and, drawing on international examples, inform a policy approach for an equitable distribution of supplementary resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage attending all schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS.
In addition to this, following the National Census conducted in April 2022, an updated HP Deprivation index has now been generated by Pobal. My Department is engaging with Pobal regarding this development and this, along with other data, will be thoroughly reviewed to inform future resource allocation aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.
227. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if she will provide a list of all second level education institutions aided by her Department in which instruction in higher mathematics was provided from another school by video link rather than being provided on-site; the roll number of each school receiving instruction by video link and the school sending instruction by video link, for each school year since 2010, in tabular form. [9172/24]
View answerMy Department does not hold such information. Under the Education Act 1998 the Board of Management of a school is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The Board of Management is accountable to the Patron of the school and the School Principal manages the school on a day-to-day basis.
228. Deputy James O'Connor asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question 181 on 7 February 2024, if she will outline a definite date for the completion of the feasibility study; the plans for the school's expansion of accommodation for the 2024/25 school year, especially when children of refugee families will be attending the school in question; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9187/24]
View answerThe school project referred to by the Deputy in their previous Parliamentary Question outlined above is at an early design phase of their Additional School Accommodation project with a Stage 1 report submitted to my Department, which is under review.
As the project is at an early stage, it is not possible to give a definitive timeline for completion of this review.
Once this review has been completed, we will contact the school authorities directly on how to progress their project through the next stages of the project.
229. Deputy Marian Harkin asked the Minister for Education if an application for additional accommodation for a school (details supplied) will be considered as a matter of urgency; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9199/24]
View answerI can confirm to the Deputy, that my Department has recently received an application for capital funding, under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme, from the school authority in question.
The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
The application is currently being assessed by my officials. Once the application has been assessed, the school authority will be contacted directly with a decision.
230. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education if a school in County Kerry (details supplied) will be considered for DEIS status; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9206/24]
View answerMy Department provides a wide range of supports to all schools, DEIS and non-DEIS, to support the inclusion of all students and address barriers to students achieving their potential.
Supplementing the universal supports available to all schools, the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) Programme is a key policy initiative of my Department to address concentrated educational disadvantage at school level in a targeted and equitable way across the primary and post-primary sector.
In March 2022, I announced the single largest expansion of the DEIS programme. This benefited 361 schools. The programme now includes in the region of 1,200 schools and supports approximately 260,000 students. 1 in 4 students and 30% of schools are now supported in the programme.
This expansion added an additional €32million to my Department’s expenditure on the DEIS programme from 2023, bringing the overall Department of Education allocation for the programme to over €180million.
Schools that were identified for inclusion in the programme were those with the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage as identified through the refined DEIS identification model, which is an objective, statistics-based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model was applied fairly and equally to all schools.
The DEIS Identification process is based on the principle of concentrated disadvantage and the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school. The DEIS identification model aimed to identify those schools with the highest levels of disadvantage or the highest proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds within a school using the school’s enrolment data and national census data as represented by the Pobal HP Deprivation index which is publicly available.
The extension of the DEIS programme to new schools is just one component of work in my vision for an inclusive education system which supports all learners to achieve their potential. While the DEIS programme supports those schools with the highest levels of concentrated educational disadvantage, I also recognise that there are students at risk of educational disadvantage in all schools. Since June 2020, and over the past four budgets, I have secured funding to provide measures to support children in this regard.
My Department recognises the need to target resources to those schools who need them most and the next phase of work will explore the allocation of resources to all schools to tackle educational disadvantage.
The DEIS Plan is based on the premise that in order to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of educational disadvantage, then extra resources need to be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest level of need. This will involve further development of the existing DEIS programme, to create a more dynamic resource allocation model where levels of resources more accurately follow the levels of need identified by objective data.
To support this work my Department has invited the OECD Strength Through Diversity: Education for Inclusive Societies Project to review the current policy approach for the allocation of resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage in Ireland. This review is ongoing and the OECD team estimate that the review will be complete in Q2 of 2024. This review will provide an independent expert opinion on the current resource allocation model for the DEIS programme and, drawing on international examples, inform a policy approach for an equitable distribution of supplementary resources to support students at risk of educational disadvantage attending all schools, both DEIS and non-DEIS.
In addition to this, following the National Census conducted in April 2022, an updated HP Deprivation index has now been generated by Pobal. My Department is engaging with Pobal regarding this development and this, along with other data, will be thoroughly reviewed to inform future resource allocation aimed at tackling educational disadvantage.
231. Deputy Francis Noel Duffy asked the Minister for Education if she is aware of the impact the decision to eliminate the category of complex educational needs from consideration when allocating special education teacher hours on children with Down syndrome in mainstream schools; if this decision will be reviewed to ensure children with Down syndrome can receive the required supports in mainstream schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9221/24]
View answerI want to thank the Deputy for raising this issue and for giving me the opportunity to clarify some of the concerns that have been raised regarding the Special Education Teacher Allocations for mainstream schools which issued on the 6th February.
At the outset, I would like to clarify complex needs have not been removed – the data which was used since 2017 from the children's disability network team (CDNT) and which is no longer routinely available is being replaced by high quality, verifiable education data.
To ensure that schools and pupils are not negatively impacted all existing hours assigned for complex needs are being maintained for each school.
Children with complex needs are supported in the model by now using school-level data from standardised tests in order to reflect relative levels of overall needed.
In the review of the model consideration was given to those students with multiple needs and who may not have undertaken standardised testing and this has been incorporated in the model.
The allocation model for 2024/25 distributes the total available number of SET posts in line with each school’s profile of need. It seeks to distribute teaching resources in the fairest possible manner, taking into account quality, robust evidence in respect of individual schools. This ensures that resources are in the right place at the right time to meet the needs of children in mainstream.
There will more Special Education Teachers in our schools in September 2024 than ever before – an increase of 1,000 from 2020/21 school year. This is in addition to a significant reduction in class teachers sizes at primary level over three budgets to where our PTR at primary level is now 23:1. This means, more than ever, children with SEN in our mainstream schools are best supported to meet their needs. In addition the model will now be run annually in line with general teacher allocations. This allows schools to better plan their staffing structures and gives them time to arrange clusters in areas where schools share an SET teacher.
There has been a limited change to the method used to allocate SET to mainstream classes. This review involved extensive consultation and visits to schools by the NCSE to look at the strengths and shortcomings of the allocation model. The feedback has been incorporated into the revised model for 2024/25.
The review of the SET model focused on ensuring that we had the best possible data available to inform the distribution of resources to our schools. Our policy relating to supporting all of our children in our schools based on their level of need remains.
The policy that individual schools are required to adhere to is the principle that the allocation is utilised to ensure that those pupils with the greatest level of need receive the greatest level of support and this remains unchanged.
Therefore the revised profiles are directly correlated to, and focused on, pupils with the greatest level of need in the areas of literacy and numeracy.
The Department acknowledges that every school is different, and that schools can experience unique circumstances that may be difficult to reflect in any standardised method. This is always a challenge when making allocations in respect of 4,000 schools. It is for this reason that the Department, working with the NCSE has streamlined the review process for special education teachers and schools who have any concerns can engage with the NCSE on their allocation.
233. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on progress under the additional accommodation scheme for a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9273/24]
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 authority in question
The purpose of my Department’s Additional School Accommodation (or ASA) scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom accommodation and accommodation for pupils with special education needs is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
At primary level, this situation generally arises to cater for a school’s accommodation requirements where an additional teaching post has been sanctioned by Teacher Allocation Section, or the requirement for a new class for pupils with special education needs has been identified by the NCSE, and all available alternative accommodation within the school is already being used for classroom purposes.
The Deputy will be aware that my Department has broadened its delivery streams and is utilising Modern Methods of Construction, including Modular Accommodation, as well as traditional construction delivery methods.
In overall terms, it is important to have a range of delivery mechanisms for delivering school accommodation to support the current very strong and ambitious roll out of school building projects. This is particular relevant given the overall challenging construction sector market. A number of factors are considered by my Department in determining the most appropriate construction method to meet a school’s accommodation requirements, including the timing and duration of that accommodation need, and other school-specific factors.
I can confirm that my officials have been engaging with the school authorities in relation to progressing their application with a view to determining the most appropriate delivery method for the school. I am pleased to confirm that a brief letter of offer has issued to the school authorities in this regard and it is currently with their Board of Management for consideration.
234. Deputy Alan Dillon asked the Minister for Education the reason future employment contracts for school secretaries do not include provisions for bereavement leave and wedding leave, in accordance with standard Department contracts; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9288/24]
View answerMy Department is providing a payroll service for school secretaries with effect from 1st September 2023. The provision of a payroll service is part of a package agreed with Fórsa, the trade union representing school secretaries, following a series of engagements at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
While this agreement includes revised terms and conditions it does not accord public servant status to school secretaries. The revised leave arrangements which have been included are statutory and therefore additional public service leave entitlements are not relevant to this cohort of employees.
235. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education to provide an update on efforts by her Department to ensure that school caretakers will be offered a new agreement for revised salary and annual leave entitlements similar to the agreement put in place for school secretaries; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9337/24]
View answerCaretakers are valued and vital members of the school system. The majority of primary and post-primary schools receive assistance to provide for caretaker services under grant schemes. Where a school employs a caretaker under these grant schemes to support those functions, those staff members are employees of the individual schools and as such the responsibility for the terms and conditions of employment as well as rates of pay currently rests with the school.
The February 2022 agreement for revised salary and annual leave entitlements for grant funded school secretaries is now fully operational, and the lessons learned from that process will form a key element in negotiating and implementing a similar package for grant funded school caretakers.
At present work is ongoing in my Department to develop a comprehensive survey which will enable my officials to confirm their understanding of the current working patterns as well as the terms and conditions of work for school caretakers. In parallel with this, officials from the Department and Fórsa are currently in communication on this important issue. A meeting to being initial discussions has been scheduled for the end of February between Fórsa and Department officials in order to begin progressing the matter.
236. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education when a review being undertaken by her Department in respect of a stage 2B submission will be finalised and the school (details supplied) contacted about the outcome of this review as it has been confirmed that it has been near completion for some time; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9366/24]
View answerThe project to which the Deputy refers includes an extension to the existing school buildings, decanting if required, necessary to satisfactorily develop the post primary school on its existing site to cater for an enrolment of 700 pupils. The project has been devolved for delivery to the school authority and it has appointed a design team to progress the project.
The Stage 2b architectural report has been received by my Department and is currently under review from both a technical and cost perspective. The review is nearing completion and my Department will revert to the school authority directly on the outcome and the next steps to progress this project.
There is an overall pipeline of some 1300 projects across the school system. The current status of all projects is listed on a county by county basis at www.gov.ie and this is updated on a regular basis to reflect project progress through the various stages of capital appraisal, site acquisition, design, tender and construction.
My Department has a strong track record of delivery of school building projects and this was achieved again in 2023 notwithstanding the wider construction sector environment of high inflation, labour shortages and supply chain issues.
Under Project Ireland 2040, we are investing over €5 billion during the period 2021 to 2025, to add capacity and develop and upgrade school facilities across the country for the almost one million students and over 100,000 staff that learn and work in our schools every day.
My Department is very appreciative of the strong support provided by Government for our education budget. As part of the supplementary budget, €405m additional capital funding was provided in 2023. This helped to alleviate capital funding pressures that arose in 2023 which was reflective of the strong delivery by my Department of school building projects – particularly to support mainstream provision accommodating Ukrainian students and special education needs provision. My Department’s overall capital out-turn for 2023 was €1.264 billion.
We continue to have a strong pipeline of projects for delivery under the school building programme involving circa. 300 projects currently at construction, which include 34 new school buildings. We also have a large modular accommodation programme delivering urgently needed school places. The Department has always operated a tightly prioritised approach to the school building programme, focused over recent years on the delivery of additional capacity where required, and this will continue to be the case.
237. Deputy Gino Kenny asked the Minister for Education the most up-to-date progress on the proposed upgrade to a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9378/24]
View answerThe large scale capital project at the school referred to by the Deputy, is at Architectural Planning Stage 3 – Tender Action and Award. The project brief includes a new extension and refurbishment of the existing building, to provide accommodation for 1000 pupils with classrooms for children with Special Educational needs.
My Department want to reassure the Deputy and the school community, that the building project remains a priority for progression.
The Tender report is currently under review by my Department officials, the school authority will be updated when this review is complete.
Until the contractor is appointed it is not possible to provide an estimated completion date, however, once the contractor is appointed it is expected that it will take approximately 20 months to complete the project.
238. Deputy Cormac Devlin asked the Minister for Education the location of the data centre or centres used by her Department; the reason it was chosen; the distance it is from her Department’s offices; if he will identify the centres used by each agency under her Department’s aegis; and the distance these data centres are to their offices; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9389/24]
View answerMy Department has a number of robust processes and procedures in place to enhance and protect the security of its data centres and these are reviewed on a regular basis.
For operational and security reasons, my Department has been previously advised by the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) not to disclose details of systems and processes which could in any way compromise my 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 or to disclose operational security matters.
The information in respect of state bodies, within the scope of the Deputy’s question, is not held by my Department. Contact details for these bodies are set out in the following table, should the Deputy wish to contact the aegis bodies directly with his query.
|
Contact E-Mail Addresses for State Bodies under the Remit of the Department of Education as at 6 November 2023 |
||
|
Name of Body |
Dedicated Email address for the Members of the Oireachtas |
Designated Official Responsible for assisting Oireachtas Members |
|
An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachtaagus Gaelscolaíochta |
oireachtas@cogg.ie |
jacquelinenifhearghusa@cogg.ie |
|
Educational Research Centre |
oireachtas.queries@erc.ie |
John.Regan@erc.ie |
|
National Council for Curriculum and Assessment |
oireachtasqueries@ncca.ie |
Aine.ArmstrongFarrell@ncca.ie |
|
State Examinations Commission |
Oireachtas@examinations.ie |
john.mcdermott@examinations.ie |
|
The Teaching Council |
pqrep@teachingcouncil.ie |
lramsey@teachingcouncil.ie |
|
National Council for Special Education |
oireachtasqueries@ncse.ie |
patrick.martin@ncse.ie and cindyjane.oconnell@ncse.ie |
|
Residential Institutions Statutory Fund – Caranua |
Michael.Fitzpatrick@caranua.ie |
Michael.Fitzpatrick@caranua.ie |
239. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if she will consider providing support to a club (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [9237/24]
View answerIn October 2023 the Government established the Emergency Business Flooding and the Enhanced Emergency Business Flooding schemes as a contribution for damage caused by flooding in the period resulting from severe weather conditions. The schemes provided a one-off emergency humanitarian grant contribution towards the costs of returning business premises and community, voluntary, and sporting bodies to their pre-flood condition including the replacement of flooring, fixtures and fittings and damaged stock.
My Department has communicated that in the event that sports clubs and facilities cannot adequately benefit from the existing aid schemes and/or insurance payments, it will engage with sports clubs to ensure that facilities impacted by such severe weather are available again for sporting use.
My Department will make contact with the club referred to by the Deputy to consider the matter further.
240. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media the estimated timeline for the announcement of the sports capital funding grant (details supplied); the details of the clubs and organisations that have applied for sports capital funding in the constituency of Dublin South-West; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8645/24]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998 bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.
The latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September, 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications, including one from the organisation to which the Deputy refers. The total number of 3,210 applications exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.
The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. These details can be accessed at www.gov.ie/en/publication/1c0f6-scep-2023-applications-received/. The necessary assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later.
241. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media if her attention has been drawn to the environmental initiatives being carried out (details supplied); if her officials could engage with the board of this club to see if their work is replicable in other clubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8880/24]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country.
The latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September, 2023. As is set out in the SCEP 2023: Guide to making an Application , the Department is committed to climate action and reducing emissions in line with national targets to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 setting the path to net zero emissions by 2050. Sports clubs have a vital role to play in the transition to a low-carbon society and the Department is expanding supports to facilitate this transition. The SCEP has historically funded a range of green measures including modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption and has restricted funding for floodlighting to LED floodlights. Furthermore, under the 2023 round, additional marks will likely be awarded to applicants which demonstrate their commitment to climate adaptation through their:
• reduction in energy usage;
• adoption of renewable energy technology;
• development of electric vehicle charging facilities;
• use of sustainable building materials;
• biodiversity protection and restoration;
• reduction in resource usage i.e. sustainable waste and water management;
• development of sustainability strategies/climate action plans;
• promotion of positive behavioural changes amongst members/users;
• active travel facilities.
Officials in Sports Capital division are available to speak to clubs should they have any queries or feedback. Contact details are available online at www.gov.ie/en/service/d13385-sports-capital-programme/#further-information.
242. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media her views on the merits of introducing a Department-led competition or initiative that would promote increased focus on environmental initiatives (details supplied) by golf clubs; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8883/24]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country.
The latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September, 2023. As is set out in the SCEP 2023: Guide to making an Application , the Department is committed to climate action and reducing emissions in line with national targets to reduce emissions by 51% by 2030 setting the path to net zero emissions by 2050. Sports clubs have a vital role to play in the transition to a low-carbon society and the Department is expanding supports to facilitate this transition. The SCEP has historically funded a range of green measures including modifications to sports facilities to reduce energy consumption and has restricted funding for floodlighting to LED floodlights. Furthermore, under the 2023 round, additional marks will likely be awarded to applicants which demonstrate their commitment to climate action through their:
• reduction in energy usage;
• adoption of renewable energy technology;
• development of electric vehicle charging facilities;
• use of sustainable building materials;
• biodiversity protection and restoration;
• reduction in resource usage i.e. sustainable waste and water management;
• development of sustainability strategies/climate action plans;
• promotion of positive behavioural changes amongst members/users;
• active travel facilities.
Many golf clubs apply for funding under the SCEP and are therefore eligible to apply for funding towards the green measures listed.
243. Deputy Niamh Smyth asked the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media for an update on a sports capital application (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [8935/24]
View answerThe Sports Capital and Equipment Programme (SCEP) is the primary vehicle for Government support for the development of sports and recreation facilities and the purchase of non-personal sports equipment throughout the country. Over 13,000 projects have now benefited from sports capital funding since 1998 bringing the total allocations in that time to over €1.15 billion. The Programme for Government commits to continuing the SCEP and to prioritising investment in disadvantaged areas.
The latest round of the SCEP (2023) closed for applications on Friday 8 September, 2023. A preliminary examination of the submitted applications demonstrates that the Programme has again generated a very large number of applications. The total number of 3,210 applications, which includes the application referenced by the Deputy, exceeds the record number submitted under the last (2020) round.
The "Scoring System and Assessment Manual" for the 2023 round has been finalised and published along with a list of all applications received by county including the relevant sport type for each application received. The detailed assessment work has commenced and it is planned to assess the "equipment-only" applications first and announce these grants in the coming months. Work will then commence on assessing the capital applications with the allocations to be announced later.
