Vol. 531 No. 2
201 Mr. Howlin asked the Minister for Education and Science the legal position in regard to educational provision for unaccompanied minors seeking refugee status; and the arrangements he has made or proposes to make, to ensure that such unaccompanied minors are provided with appropriate education while their application is being processed. [5296/01]
Section 7 of the Education Act, 1998 provides that it is a function of the Minister to "ensure, subject to the provisions of this Act, that there is made available to each person resident in the State . support services and a level and quality of education appropriate to meeting the needs and abilities of that person."
My Department does not differentiate between national and non-national children, whether they are refugees, asylum seekers or other non-nationals, attending primary or post-primary schools. All non-national pupils are included in the total enrolment of a school for the purpose of capitation grants, free books and other grants on the same basis as Irish pupils.
Additional support is made available to primary and post-primary schools catering for non-national pupils who have significant English language deficits. Schools with 14 or more non-national pupils with significant English language deficits are granted an additional temporary teaching post for up to two school years; primary schools where three to 13 non-national pupils are enrolled may apply to my Department for grant assistance towards the provision of teaching resources for the pupils.
At second level where the number of such non-national pupils enrolled is between one and six, the school may be provided with an additional teaching allocation of two hours per week for each pupil up to a maximum of ten hours per week. The allocation for non-national pupils over six in number would generally be based on one and a half hours per week for each pupil.
