Vol. 565 No. 2
5 Ms O'Sullivan asked the Minister for Education and Science the progress made to date with regard to the operation of the National Educational Welfare Board; the number of education welfare officers in place; the number expected to be in place by the end of 2003; if he expects all areas of the country to have an education welfare officer in place; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10597/03]
The Education (Welfare) Act 2000, which is now fully commenced, established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national agency with responsibility for school attendance. The board appointed an interim chief executive officer in August 2002 and directors of corporate services and educational services have recently taken up their posts. The board is currently recruiting eight further head office staff.
Thirty seven former school attendance officers who were employed by local authorities under the previous legislation were transferred to the board on 5 July 2002 in accordance with section 40 of the Act. These 37 staff are currently providing a service in the cities of Dublin, Cork and Waterford. Twenty five of them have recently accepted the terms and conditions of employment of educational welfare officer, EWO, and will henceforth be carrying out the full range of EWO duties and providing a year-round service rather than the school term based service they were providing as former school attendance officers.
Proposals for the recruitment of an additional cohort of educational welfare officers have been received from the board and officials of my Department had discussions with the executive of the board last week in relation to these proposals. Arising from these discussions, the executive wrote to my Department on 4 April clarifying certain costs associated with their proposals. It is not possible to specify the number of new education welfare officers who will be put in place this year until my Department has had an opportunity to consider these proposals and costs in a multi-annual framework.
I have allocated a budget of €5.4 million to the board for the current year and it is my intention that the board's proposals will be taken forward in the context of these resources and the budgetary allocations in future years.
The board's proposals provide for the assignment of staff on a regional basis, with regional managers being put in place to ensure smooth implementation of the Act nationally. I should point out to the Deputy that decisions relating to the assignment of education welfare officers to specific areas are a matter for the board, which is an independent statutory body.
I thank the Minister for his reply and I welcome the progress that has been made, particularly the appointment of the educational welfare officers. As the Minister is aware, this is the first issue I prioritised when I became spokesperson because I feel strongly in particular about the scandal of children as young as 11 or 12 roaming the streets of our cities.
With regard to the funding of €5.4 million, which I understand is only half the amount the board identified as its need for expanding the service this year, what can areas like my own city of Limerick do, which has no service because it did not have the original officers? There is a vacuum now because the gardaí, who used to have the power to do this work, no longer have that power under the new legislation. Will the Minister prioritise funding for this area and give the board enough money to appoint educational welfare officers throughout the country?
The areas to which the officers are assigned is a matter for the board. I cannot direct the board in that regard.
He can fund them.
The €5.4 million in funding I provided is what we estimate will be sufficient to roll the service out during the course of the year. The board has decided that wherever cases arise nationally it will provide that service. A local pro-active service will also be provided to the schools and parents in areas where educational welfare officers are appointed. Where that local service is not available, the board will provide a reactive service which will cater for urgent cases brought to its attention.
Apart from anything else, the board must employ extra staff. We estimate that the €5.4 million will allow the board to employ approximately 30 to 40 extra educational welfare officers in addition to administrative staff and it will meet the needs of the board for this year.
Originally it was said that RAPID areas would be prioritised as the next phase after the existing school attendance officers were appointed as educational welfare officers. There are RAPID areas in my city, which has many problems, but yet we do not envisage having educational welfare officers, certainly in the current year. Will there be funding allocated in RAPID areas in places like Limerick and other areas around the country to address this issue in the near future?
Like all statutory boards, the board is obliged to take Government policy into account. It is the Government's policy to give priority to areas of disadvantage, particularly RAPID areas. I am sure the board will take that policy into account, but again I am not in a position to direct the board to do so. I accept the point the Deputy is making about her own city and other areas. I would imagine that the board would give priority to those areas of greatest need initially and I will convey the views of the Deputy to the board in that respect.
