Thursday, 27 Sep 2012

Written Answers Nos. 77-84

Tax Yield

Ceisteanna (77)

Olivia Mitchell

Ceist:

77. Deputy Olivia Mitchell asked the Minister for Finance the total annual income tax take in 2011 from public service employees; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41211/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the information sought by the Deputy is not directly available from the data maintained by them. However, on the basis of an estimation of the sectoral distribution of taxes collected annually, Revenue has estimated that the net income tax (inclusive of the Universal Social Charge) collected through the PAYE system from public sector employees in 2011 was approximately €3.6 billion.

General Government Debt

Ceisteanna (78)

Michael McGrath

Ceist:

78. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide in tabular form the primary general Government deficit, both gross and net of measures relating to the banking sector for the period 2007 to 2011; his projection of the primary deficit for 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41214/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

The information the Deputy is seeking is set out in the Table.

-	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012
-	€m	€m	€m	€m	€m	€m
a. General Government Balance (GGB)*	170	-13,129	-22,467	-48,426	-20,157	-13,115
b. Interest	1,953	2,380	3,250	4,928	5,278	6,460
c. Primary GGB (c=a+b)	2,123	-10,749	-19,217	-43,499	-14,879	-6,655
d. Banking measures affecting GGB	0	0	4,000	31,575	5,780	0
e. Primary GGB net of banking measures (e=c+d)	2,123	-10,749	-15,217	-11,924	-9,099	-6,655

*CSO NIE September 2012

The 2012 General Government Deficit is the latest published projection contained in the April Stability Programme Update. Updated forecasts for 2012 will be published in October.

Tax Yield

Ceisteanna (79)

Joanna Tuffy

Ceist:

79. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on the tax yield (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41223/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

I assume the Deputy has in mind a 1 percentage point increase in the rate of Universal Social Charge (USC) applying to incomes exceeding €90,000 in the manner indicated in the question. The Universal Social Charge (USC) is an individualised charge and as such the yield is calculated for individual incomes of more than €90,000. On that basis, I am advised by the Revenue Commissioners that the full year yield, estimated by reference to 2013 incomes, would be €75 million. The corresponding full year yield, if a 3 per cent levy increase was applied to individual incomes above €100,000, would be €201 million. The estimated yields are based on confining the increases to the portion of income in excess of the stated income commencement points. That is, the increases are not applied to the portion of total income below those levels. The figure is an estimate from the Revenue tax-forecasting model using actual data for the year 2010 adjusted as necessary for income and employment trends in the interim. It is, therefore, provisional and likely to be revised.

Tax Code

Ceisteanna (80)

Joanna Tuffy

Ceist:

80. Deputy Joanna Tuffy asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide an update on the high income individuals restrictions (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41224/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Finance

The measures provided for in Finance Act 2012 regarding “legacy” property-based tax schemes, which inter alia, are subject to the high earners’ restriction, are in line with the advice received from the Attorney General’s Office. We do not publish legal advice from the Attorney General. There are of course certain other specified reliefs that are covered by the restriction such as the artists’ exemption, the employment and investment incentive and the charitable donations scheme. However, as indicated in my previous response to the Deputy in this matter, an evaluation of each of the specified reliefs would be required before abolition could be considered.

FÁS Training Programmes Eligibility

Ceisteanna (81)

Michael McCarthy

Ceist:

81. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Cork is eligible to hire someone through the FÁS redundant apprentice placement scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41130/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

I am informed that the person in question can make an application to participate in the FAS Redundant Apprentices Placement Scheme through his local FÁS Services to Business Office at Rossa Avenue, Bishopstown, Cork (Tel: [phone]). I understand that Employers in the Public and Private Sector are eligible to participate in the Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme provided they meet the following criteria:

A) Currently are approved to employ a registered apprentice on a full time basis OR;

B) if not currently employing apprentices may apply to FÁS for the approval to participate in the scheme subject to satisfying the criteria to train apprentices and

C) must not have made an apprentice redundant in the 12 month period prior to the date of application.

Employers participating in the scheme must:

- Engage apprentices on a full time basis.

- Not reduce the hours of existing apprentices or craftspeople or reduce the normal intake of new apprentices.

- Carry out on the job assessments for the relevant phase and return certified results to FÁS.

- Return to FÁS the weekly attendance record each Monday covering attendance for the previous week.

- Comply with the conditions of the Service Level agreement.

- Make all documentation in relation to the scheme available to FÁS officers.

- Have a current Tax Clearance certificate.

- Comply with EU De-Minimise Aid Regulations.

Redundancy Payments

Ceisteanna (82)

Tom Fleming

Ceist:

82. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will examine a redundancy claim in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41068/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The person referred to by the Deputy was employed as a full time Special Needs Assistant. A review of the SNA resources in the person's school undertaken by the National Council for Special Education in late 2011 determined that there had been a reduction in the care needs of the children in the school. As a result, the school's allocation of SNA resources was reduced. This resulted in the post of the person referred to by the Deputy being reduced from a full time post to a part time post (0.5 of a post) with effect from January 2012. This person received compensation for the loss of half of their post under the terms of Department Circular 58/2006 'Redundancy Arrangement for Special Needs Assistants'.

This Department has recently been informed by the school that the person referred to by the Deputy has resigned his part time post (with effect from September 2012) in order to take up employment elsewhere. As the part time post was not made redundant, no further compensation / redundancy is due to be paid.

School Staffing

Ceisteanna (83)

Michael Healy-Rae

Ceist:

83. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding career guidance; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41162/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the budget measure that requires schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the greatest extent possible.

Teacher allocations to post primary schools for the 2012/13 school year have effectively been settled at this stage and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. Decisions on how this is done are taken at school level and I am confident that schools will act in the best interest of students when determining precisely how to use the teaching resources available to them. A key priority for me is to continue to prioritise and target available funding at schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. All 195 second-level school in DEIS have been given targeted support by a more favourable staffing schedule of 18.25:1. This is a 0.75 point reduction compared to the existing PTR of 19:1 that applies in non fee-paying second-level schools.

My Department also provided some limited short-term support to schools through curricular concessions in order to help them manage within their approved teaching allocation. It is established policy that guidance is a whole school activity and under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. While the school's guidance planning should involve the guidance counsellor(s) in the first instance, other members of school staff and management also have key roles to play. Parents and students must be seen as an essential part of the process. Through this process schools can, for example, consider the following options for maximising the use of their available resources for the provision of guidance:

- Optimise the delivery of personal educational, career and vocational guidance in class group settings,

- Enable students to use directly the extensive range of guidance tools available through the internet from relevant websites (e.g. Qualifax, Careers Portal)

- Enable some of the curriculum elements of the planned guidance programme to be delivered through other teachers such as SPHE staff,

- Maximise the role of the pastoral care team in schools, and

- Ensure that the guidance counsellor has 1:1 time towards meeting the counselling needs of students experiencing difficulties or crisis.

The support of the whole school community, parents and the relevant external agencies such as NEWB and NEPS are key to the provision of guidance and support to schools.

Psychologists from my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) also provide a range of supports to schools. These include the promotion of positive mental health among the general student body and assistance in supporting pupils with particular social, emotional or behavioural difficulties.

My Department is also aiming to launch the Guidelines on Mental Health for Post-Primary Schools later this year. These guidelines aim to support schools in developing a whole-school approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention and are of relevance to all members of the school community. In particular, they have been developed to support principals, guidance counsellors, student support teams, and teachers.

School Accommodation

Ceisteanna (84)

Niall Collins

Ceist:

84. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to cater for the future accommodation needs of a school (details supplied) in Dublin 24; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41206/12]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is currently considering the position relating to the accommodation needs of the school to which he refers and my officials will be in further contact with the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.