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Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Wednesday, 29 Jan 2014

Vol. 828 No. 2

Written Questions Nos. 56 to 62

Schools Building Projects Status

Noel Coonan

Ceist:

56. Deputy Noel Coonan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding an application for funding from a school (details supplied) in County Tipperary; the status of the application; when a decision will be reached; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4523/14]

I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide a new school building.

The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including the school in question, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie.

In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential school accommodation to meet demographic demand, the Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to indicate at this point when a major project for the school in question will be progressed.

Student Grant Scheme Representations

James Bannon

Ceist:

57. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application for a Student Universal Support Ireland grant will be reconsidered in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Longford; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4527/14]

Officials in my Department have been informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the reckonable income of the student referred to by the Deputy has been assessed in line with Article 22 of the Student Grant Scheme 2013 and that the student was awarded 100% Student Contribution.

I understand that his sister was not eligible for a grant due to the reckonable income exceeding the threshold for award of postgraduate fee grant or fee contribution. The Deputy will appreciate that the terms of the Student Grant Scheme are general in nature and exceptions cannot be made regardless of individual circumstances. Where an individual applicant considers that he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form is available to download from http://www.studentfinance.ie/downloads/1375344221/2013_SGAB_appeal_form.pdf.

School Enrolments

Michael McCarthy

Ceist:

58. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the enrolment policy of a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4531/14]

It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are a matter for the schools themselves. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to publish its enrolment policy.

FÁS Training Programmes Provision

Michael McCarthy

Ceist:

59. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason driving courses were discontinued in the FÁS centre in Dundalk in 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4532/14]

I am informed that following a comprehensive review of training programmes in what was then the FÁS North East Region in 2012 it was decided to discontinue driving courses. I am informed that this was due to there being no labour market demand with very few vacancies for commercial drivers being advertised. This continues to be the case. Through consultation with key stakeholders such as the Department Social Protection, it appeared that there is an oversupply of persons with commercial driving licenses.

The Department of Social Protection was already funding individuals who could make a business case that the training would lead to employment through the Technical Employment Support Grant. In addition, in follow up surveys where FÁS contacted individuals who had completed driving courses they were achieving very limited placement/transfer into employment.

SOLAS North East will continue to review the provision of courses and would welcome submissions from interested parties who can exhibit potential employment opportunities by linking it to the delivery of market led training courses.

Irish Language

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

60. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he considers the aonad/sruth at second level as representing full immersion in the Irish language for those who have gone through gaelscoileanna at primary level; if this is taken into consideration when determining the enrolment policy for second level gaelscoileanna; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4542/14]

I am committed to making Irish medium education available at post-primary taking account of the demand for such provision in an area and the availability of resources. My Department will continue to identify areas where there is need for a new stand alone Irish medium post-primary school in accordance with a threshold of demand (i.e. 400 pupils) that is considerably lower than the equivalent for English-medium schools (i.e between 800 and 1,000 pupils).

Other options such as Irish language units (Aonad) and Irish language streams (Sruth) attached to an English medium school are considered in areas where the demand for Irish-medium education does not meet the threshold for a stand alone Irish medium school. The extent to which students are immersed in the Irish language in units and streams will be contingent on a number of interrelated factors such as support from management of the host school, the level of demand for Irish-medium instruction in the school, whole-school planning and the arrangements in place for the allocation of teaching resources.

In relation to a school's enrolment policy, it is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. This selection process and the enrolment policy on which it is based must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to publish its enrolment policy.

The Deputy will be aware that I have recently published a draft General Scheme for an Education (Admission to Schools) Bill, 2013 as well as draft regulations for discussion ahead of enacting legislation. These are available on my Department's website. I have referred the draft proposals to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Social Protection, to allow a full public discussion of the proposed legislative framework, including inputs from parents, education partners and other stakeholders. I will be reflecting carefully on the views expressed in the consultation process to ensure the legislation strikes the right balance between school autonomy and fairness in our education system.

Gaelscoil Issues

Catherine Murphy

Ceist:

61. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has considered granting a temporary prefabricated classroom to a school (details supplied) in County Dublin in order to accommodate the 30 prospective students who will not be able to attain a place in September 2014, but who come from all-Irish primary schools in the north Kildare area; if he will provide details of the correspondence he has had with the school in question and with parents concerning this matter; the long-term solution available to expand capacity at second level gaelscoileanna, in particular this school; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [4543/14]

I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's overriding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cater for increasing pupil numbers.

In June 2011, I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established up to 2017 to cater for increasing demographic demand across a number of locations. These consist of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools, including a new post primary school for Maynooth which will assist in servicing enrolment demand in North Kildare. The announcement included the provision of an Aonad in the Maynooth school. In addition, my Department has confirmed, that if sufficient demand for education through the medium of Irish in the Aonad is demonstrated over a four year cycle, consideration will be given by my Department to the establishment of an independent Gaelcholáiste.

Maynooth Community College, which will open in September 2014, includes an Aonad. My Department has confirmed that the Aonad has capacity to cater for those students referred to by the Deputy. Kildare and Wicklow ETB is currently progressing the building of a new education campus through the planning process and this will provide permanent accommodation for the school. The school referred to by the Deputy has not submitted an application for additional accommodation to my Department and I understand that it has no plans to expand its current capacity at this time.

Question No. 62 answered with Question No. 50.
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