Parliamentary questions

Teacher Redeployment

Brendan Griffin

201. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the qualifying criteria for supplementary panel rights will be changed so that overall experience rather than just one year's earnings will be considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22236/14]

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Seán Fleming

202. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills the grant, financial assistance or bursary available to Irish persons who wish to commence studying for nursing in a university (details supplied) in Scotland in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22241/14]

Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements

Seán Fleming

203. Deputy Sean Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the Central Applications Office gives a higher priority to students who obtained leaving certificate points in the current year when considering applications for a course (details supplied) in third level education compared with students who completed their leaving certificate in 2013, 2012 or earlier years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22242/14]

Autism Support Services

Thomas P. Broughan

204. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 192 and 195 of 6 May 2014, the way the Teaching Council defines the minimum course content required to enable primary school teachers effectively to teach children who have received a diagnosis of autism in autism-specific classes. [22250/14]

Autism Support Services

Thomas P. Broughan

205. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 192 and 195 of 6 May 2014, if he will provide the list of evidence-based research to which he makes reference regarding his Department’s decisions on a range of matters including pedagogy, school curriculum, special educational needs and child development. [22251/14]

Autism Support Services

Thomas P. Broughan

206. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 193 and 194 of 6 May 2014, wherein he stated that it is not the practice of his Department to issue a circular on each approach used in the classroom setting, the reason his Department considers this appropriate in view of the fact that further training in the mentioned approaches are not mandatory for teachers in autism-specific classes. [22252/14]

Autism Support Services

Thomas P. Broughan

207. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 193 and 194 of 6 May 2014, if he will confirm that there is not one person or organisation with the responsibility for the implementation of ABA in classrooms. [22253/14]

Autism Support Services

Thomas P. Broughan

208. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 196 and 197 of 6 May 2014, if he will provide further details of the appropriate departmental circulars and guidelines to which he made reference in his reply. [22254/14]

School Transport Eligibility

Bernard Durkan

209. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a bus pass to a school will be restored in the case of a child (details supplied) in County Meath; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22263/14]

Departmental Correspondence

Robert Troy

210. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond without further delay to correspondence from a school (details supplied) in County Westmeath. [22271/14]

Schools Recognition

Terence Flanagan

211. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a school (details supplied) in Dublin 13 is eligible for State funding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22275/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Billy Kelleher

212. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills the facilities that will be made available to a school (details supplied) in County Cork for a deaf child who has put in an application for needs at the school as it has never had a deaf child before. [22316/14]

Special Educational Needs Data

Michael McNamara

213. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants in primary and secondary schools in County Clare; the number of children to whom they provided support in 2012 and 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22323/14]

Special Educational Needs Data

Michael McNamara

214. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of full-time and part-time special needs assistants posts to which the 10,965 whole-time equivalent posts allocated to County Clare schools translates; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22324/14]

Special Educational Needs Data

Michael McNamara

215. Deputy Michael McNamara asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department or the National Council for Special Education operates a county cap or ceiling limiting the number of special needs assistants that can be appointed in a county; the county cap or ceiling for County Clare for 2013-2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22325/14]

School Transport Administration

Patrick O'Donovan

216. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide in tabular form the total number of routes, the total number of children carried and the cost per child carried for primary and post-primary schools; the total revenue of Bus Éireann and the percentage increase or decrease year on year from 2004 to date under the school transport scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22327/14]

School Transport Administration

Patrick O'Donovan

217. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that Bus Éireann made an internal calculation that it saved his Department €30 million due to efficiencies of Bus Éireann in the provision of the service and Bus Éireann claimed the majority of this €30 million was spent on new services provided by Bus Éireann over the period specified, if he will provide in a year-on-year tabular form the alleged savings made in each category of charge as set out in the format as in the annual statement of account for direct costs and also the categories for indirect costs charges as tabulated in FGS report 2009, page 9, table 1.4, for each year that Bus Éireann claimed the total savings of €30 million over the said years as claimed by Bus Éireann to the Joint Committee on Transport and Communications on 7 May 2014 in respect of school transport; if he will provide in tabular form the €30 million in extra services provided over the same said period; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22329/14]

School Transport Administration

Patrick O'Donovan

218. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a year-on-year in tabular form the categories for indirect costs charges to his Department by Bus Éireann as tabulated in FGS Report 2009, page 9, table 1.4, for each year from 1997, being ten years prior to the EU Commission's opening statement in state aid investigation C31/07, as published in the Official Journal on 15 September 2007; if he will ask Bus Éireann to prepare a balance sheet for each of these years; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22330/14]

Further Education and Training Programmes Provision

Dara Calleary

219. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that FETAC course operators must run their courses in FETAC-accredited centres; his views on whether this is a restrictive rule; his views on whether local community centres and civic centres would be ideal locations for the hosting of such courses; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22395/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Seán Ó Fearghaíl

220. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the resources needed for a child (details supplied) in County Kildare will be processed as a matter of urgency; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22403/14]

School Transport Administration

Charlie McConalogue

221. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason Bus Éireann requires buses operated by its contractors to be tested by a private company at the expense of Bus Éireann even though these buses have already passed the test in the commercial vehicle test centre; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22407/14]

Special Education Review

Clare Daly

222. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 184 of 30 April 2014, if he will confirm that he received a letter (details supplied) from the Psychological Society of Ireland division of behaviour analysis; if his Department has received the earlier communications Professor Leslie refers to; the reason he denied having received these communications in his earlier response; and now that this has been brought to his personal attention, if he will make contact with the Psychological Society of Ireland division of behaviour analysis to accept its invitation and address its concerns. [22413/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Clare Daly

223. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 186 and 216 of 30 April 2014, if he was aware when he made his reply of the recent ESRI-NCSE report which raised concerns over the extent to which teachers have the appropriate skills and qualifications to meet the needs of children with ASD and if he will share the documents he received from the Teaching Council that address the concerns raised by the ESRI-NCSE report with regard to the skills and qualifications. [22414/14]

Autism Support Services

Clare Daly

224. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason he has stated that the SESS contemporary applied behaviour analysis course trains teachers to design, implement and evaluate ABA interventions when he has been informed by the Psychology Society of Ireland's division of behaviour analysis that to give this impression was dangerous; and if he will confirm that he is aware that the SESS has previously offered advice stating that teachers offering ABA to students with ASD should receive on-site and off-site supervision from a professionally qualified behaviour analyst. [22415/14]

Schools Data

Patrick O'Donovan

225. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the obligations for primary and secondary schools to compile accounts on a yearly basis; and the person who signed off. [22429/14]

School Management

Micheál Martin

226. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the avenues of redress parents or pupils have, in the event that a dispute arises between a person and the board of management of a school that cannot be resolved and remains an outstanding grievance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22430/14]

School Management

Micheál Martin

227. Deputy Micheál Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the person to whom the board of management is answerable to in the event that a person is not satisfied with the outcome of a grievance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22431/14]

Schools Amalgamation

John Paul Phelan

228. Deputy John Paul Phelan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position with regard to progress concerning the merger of two schools (details provided) in County Kilkenny; when he expects this amalgamation to be completed; when he believes that a new amalgamated school building will be provided; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22436/14]

Summer Works Scheme Applications

Michael Healy-Rae

229. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a grant in respect of a school (details supplied). [22445/14]

Student Grant Scheme Payments

Michael Healy-Rae

230. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a grant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22446/14]

Schools Building Projects Status

Dan Neville

231. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on correspondence regarding a permanent school building (details supplied) in County Limerick; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22476/14]

Third Level Qualifications Recognition

Billy Kelleher

232. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the qualifications of a dental hygienist are regarded as the same as those of a dental nurse; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22485/14]

Speech and Language Therapy

Paudie Coffey

233. Deputy Paudie Coffey asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a speech and language class will be provided for a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22507/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Derek Keating

234. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine a difficult situation (details supplied) whereby a young boy who has moderate learning disabilities cannot find appropriate educational accommodation and is currently in a school that caters for children with mild intellectual disabilities and, therefore, is not receiving any of the related Health Service Executive services; and if he will agree this matter is now urgent. [22513/14]

Schools Building Projects Status

Derek Keating

235. Deputy Derek Keating asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide an update on the progress being made for the provision of a new 1,000 pupil school for a school (details supplied) in County Dublin, in view of the fact that the board and the design team have been waiting for a stage 1 meeting for the past six months and the school is currently unable to provide for the total number of students enrolled for September 2014, including some of the existing students who are currently enrolled, and this situation is therefore very urgent for the school; and the way he will help to progress this issue. [22515/14]

School Accommodation

Simon Harris

236. Deputy Simon Harris asked the Minister for Education and Skills the action his Department has taken to date to ensure that all children in an area (details supplied) have a school place for the school year 2014-15; when a review of accommodation needs in this area will be complete; how soon following this review he expects to make a decision regarding additional classes for the schools in the area; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22538/14]

Adult Education

Gerry Adams

237. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the decision was made to close the community training centre, Mullaghcrone, Drogheda, County Louth; the reason that the decision was taken to close this service that caters for 48 service users at present; if any consultation took place between his Department and the experienced staff at the centre; the date on which the centre is scheduled to close; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22543/14]

Adult Education

Gerry Adams

238. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if Louth and Meath Education and Training Board was consulted as part of the decision to terminate services at the community training centre, Mullaghcrone, Drogheda, County Louth; if Louth and Meath Education and Training Board was identified as the replacement for the current services at Drogheda; the date on which this consultation took place; if the current community training centre was part of the consultation at this stage; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22544/14]

Adult Education

Gerry Adams

239. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reverse the decision made to close the community training centre, Drogheda, County Louth noting that the centre has been in operation for 30 years and provides an invaluable service to 48 persons between the ages of 16 and 21 years old; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22545/14]

School Accommodation

Éamon Ó Cuív

240. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date with providing a school (details supplied) in County Galway with a new school building; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22566/14]

School Staffing

John McGuinness

241. Deputy John McGuinness asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will insist on the teaching posts being maintained at a school (details supplied) in County Kilkenny in view of the fact that the number of pupils is set to increase in September 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22571/14]

School Funding

Jonathan O'Brien

242. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that students at a school (details supplied) in County Galway have no access to on-site sports facilities and that their fundraising efforts have raised significant finance for building a sports hall; and if part funding will be provided in order that they may have a sports hall on site. [22594/14]

School Accommodation

Jonathan O'Brien

243. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools with no on-site sports facilities. [22595/14]

Teacher Redeployment

Jonathan O'Brien

244. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Donegal will be placed on the panel; the reasons she has received two different sets of advice from his Department regarding her ability to meet the earnings threshold; the appeals process open to her; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22596/14]

Teachers' Remuneration

Timmy Dooley

245. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a teacher who was in receipt of an allowance for teaching through the medium of the Irish language in the gaelscoil in Tullamore is no longer in receipt of the allowance now that the teacher is a permanent member of staff in another gaelscoil, (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22606/14]

School Enrolments

Jonathan O'Brien

246. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that a child (details supplied) in Dublin 4 has been refused a place in a local school due to the fact that the school has changed the admissions procedure to prioritise access for daughters of past pupils and girls attending Belmont primary school meaning the child does not qualify for a place; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the ability of schools to discriminate against children in this manner puts these children at a massive disadvantage when it comes to securing a school place; that his proposed changes to the admissions system will still allow for discrimination in this manner; the steps he will take to address this situation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22611/14]

Education and Training Boards

Terence Flanagan

247. Deputy Terence Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide some background information regarding the takeover of an organisation (details supplied) in Dublin 13 by SOLAS; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22623/14]

School Funding

John O'Mahony

248. Deputy John O'Mahony asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a school (details supplied) in County Mayo will receive funding to carry out works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22653/14]

Weight of Schoolbags

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan

249. Deputy Luke 'Ming' Flanagan asked the Minister for Education and Skills in reference to the report by a working group in 1998, which recommended that no child carry over 10% of his or her body weight, yet children are carrying books and backpacks three times their weight, the reason this is not implemented in practice in all educational institutions here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22658/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

David Stanton

250. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 193 of 1 April 2014, if he has received the finalised report of the independent review of the visiting teacher service; if he will publish same; the action he will take as a result of the review; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [22670/14]