Written Answers Nos. 215 - 235
215. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that training courses are provided for jobseekers in Oracle and Java computer software to ensure they have the IT skills needed to take up employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25150/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra236. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if training courses are provided by FÁS-SOLAS in Oracle and Java computer software in order to ensure trainees can secure the IT skills needed to take up employment; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25151/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 215 and 236 together.
I am informed that FAS provides the following Java/Oracle IT courses.
FÁS eCollege provide online learning
- Java Associate Developer SE7 - Online
- Java Professional Developer SE7 - Online.
Courses are also run in FÁS Training Centres as demand dictates leading to Oracle Certification at Java Level I or II
- JAVA Programming - Short Course
- Java Programmer I SE7
- Java Programmer
- Java Associate
- Creating Software Using Java - Evenings
- Programming in Java (Intro) - Evenings.
In addition to the above FÁS through its Training Centre facilities, contracted training units and its community training interventions provides a wide and diverse portfolio of training interventions designed to provide learners with the appropriate IT knowledge, skills and competence to avail of an extensive range of IT labour market opportunities. The portfolio of courses shown below is typical and indicative but not exclusive or exhaustive: Java Programming Levels 1 and 2; Software Developer – includes JAVA, VB, VB.Net and C#; MySQL / PHP; MTA Software and Networking Fundamentals; IT Support Specialist; Digital Web Design; Web Developer; Software Tester; IT Maintenance; Digital Media; Desk Top Publishing; Web Design Introduction; Advanced Digital Imaging; Computer Applications & Office Skills; Manual & Computerised Payroll and Bookkeeping; Computer Network Installation and Maintenance; Multimedia Training; 2D and 3D Computer Aided Design; 3D Parametric Modelling; Computer Programming & Game Design; Internet Skills; Computer Literacy.
216. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills the specific status in terms of access to financial compensation by the State for former inhabitants of the Bethany House Homes under the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25587/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002, specified named institutions, section 4 of the Act allowed for the insertion into the Schedule of "any industrial school, reformatory school, orphanage, children's home, special school which was established for the purpose of providing education services to children with a physical or intellectual disability or a hospital providing medical or psychiatric services to people with a physical or mental disability or mental illness in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function" into the Schedule by Ministerial Order. Two such Orders were made in November 2004 and July 2005.
At the time these Orders were made the Department of Health and Children had advised that it was unable to locate any documentation which would indicate that a public body had an inspection or regulatory function in respect of the Bethany Home. Subsequently, in 2007 the Department of Health and Children advised that evidence of a regulatory or inspection function had been located and that the inclusion of Bethany Home in the Redress Scheme could be considered. However, as the information identified that Bethany Home operated as a mother and baby home it was not regarded as eligible to be considered for inclusion in the Scheme.
Following the publication of the Ryan Report, there were a range of requests and demands for the scheme to be extended, including a request for the Bethany Home to be included on the basis that it operated as a children's home. However, the Government of the time decided against the inclusion of any further institutions within the scheme. The decision not to extend the scheme has meant the exclusion of a range of institutions which could have been considered for inclusion. I met with the representatives of the Bethany Home Survivors Group in May 2011. While acknowledging the hurt and pain that remains with the survivors, having reviewed the papers on the Home and having taken all the circumstances into account, I found no basis to revisit the decision of the previous Government not to include the Home in the Redress Scheme.
217. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person (details supplied) in County Kerry who was recently confirmed to be on the fifth salary point by his Department will be added to the supplementary teaching panel; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25031/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. The application process for the supplementary panels was introduced for the 2012/13 school year.
The arrangements for panel access for fixed term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers for the 2013/14 school year are set out in Department Circular 0038/2012 which was published on 9 November 2012 on the Department website. The period for submitting applications was between 9 November 2012 and 14 December 2012. The circular made clear that late applications would not be considered. The Department has received a number of applications after the closing date which will not be processed.
218. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers from primary and second level schools throughout the country who were employed at any stage by his Department and State Examinations Commission, including those who were employed for just one day; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25034/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information as requested by the Deputy is not available. The details of the number of retired teachers employed in the period January to March 2013 will be forwarded to the Deputy.
219. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers who were employed for State Examinations Commission practical and oral exams in any subject in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25035/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
220. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers who have been employed as supervisors or readers for State exams in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25036/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted, including the supervision of examinations. In view of the above, I have forwarded your queries to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
221. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired teachers who will or have been employed as exam secretary in a school for State exams in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25037/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.
222. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way a suicide awareness programme for teenagers Bring Me Back Alive play could be taken to every school in the country. [25039/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am aware of the serious problem of youth suicide and of the role that schools can play in prevention . My Department produced guidelines for schools in this area last year. Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools: Guidelines for Mental Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention, which I launched jointly with Minister Kathleen Lynch in January 2013, was developed by my Department in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive. The guidelines are informed by consultation with key Education and Health partners and by the findings of current research. They provide practical guidance to post-primary schools on how they can promote mental health and well-being in an integrated school-wide way and they also provide evidence-based advice on how to support young people who may be at risk of suicidal behaviour.
The Guidelines build on the significant work already taking place in schools, including through the Social, Personal and Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the whole-school guidance plan, the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) continuum of support model and the HSE, Health Promoting Schools Process. Information is also provided on how to access support from the SPHE Support Service and other external agencies and support services. In addition, in the new Framework for Junior Cycle which I launched in October, "Wellbeing" is one of the 8 principles which underpin the Framework. Through a student's experience in Junior Cycle, I want the student to be able to take actions to safeguard and promote his/ her well - being and that of others.
The Bring Me Back Alive Play is one of a range of external resources and initiatives that are available to assist schools in implementing various aspects of the curriculum. Unfortunately my Department is not in a position to endorse individual initiatives, and it is a matter for individual schools to determine which of these resources they choose to access. My Department's advice is that schools in the first instance should implement the Well-Being in Post-Primary Schools document effectively and when considering collaborating with external agencies in doing work in the area of mental health promotion, schools should be cognisant of Appendix 3a (DES, Circular 0023/2010) and 3b which provide advice on best practice for Social Personal and Health Education. The following is a link to the Guidelines document: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Education-Reports/Well_Being_PP_Schools_Guidelines.pdf.
223. Deputy Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 139 of 15 May 2013, if the policy with regard to July provision of home tuition for children with autism has changed; if children who are siblings, who all have autism will receive 40 hours of one to one tuition each, or if that time will have to be shared; and when that change in policy took place. [25053/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra230. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reverse his decision to allocate resource hours under the July provision to siblings based on the school grouping principle rather than to each child in their own right; if he will outline the assistance he will give to parents unable to find tutors that will work alone with a number of children with a severe or profound learning disability or autism. [25117/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 230 together.
The July Education Programme provides funding for an extended school year for children with autism and children with a severe or profound general learning disability. This Programme is available to all special and mainstream primary schools which have special classes catering for eligible pupils. Where school based provision is not available, 10 hours per week home based provision may be grant-aided to eligible pupils. In cases where there are qualifying siblings, a combined allocation is made. This is consistent with the school grouping principle, where one teacher is allocated to a class of six pupils. Accordingly, it is considered appropriate that a tutor can provide collective tuition in the home to siblings. Under these arrangements, each child is receiving a full 10 hours tuition. In previous years the application process may have failed to identify siblings resulting in double allocations in some cases. This year's application process has corrected this historic deficit. There has not been a change to the scheme's criteria.
224. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the stage of a proposed extension to a school (details supplied) in County Wicklow; if he will outline in tabular form the costs that have been incurred by his Department in the project to date, including surveying, planning, legal fees and others; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25071/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that a building project for the proposed expansion of the school to which he refers was announced to commence construction in 2014/2015 as part of my Department's Five Year Plan. While architectural planning for the delivery of the project had commenced, the Design Team encountered significant difficulties which would have major implications for the successful progression of the project through the planning process. Accordingly, my Department has decided that the proposed building project, as envisaged, will not now proceed. My Department has confirmed this position to the school's Patron. A re-assessment of the demographic need has been undertaken and alternative provision is now being made to meet demographic demand.
My Department will, however, continue to monitor enrolments in all areas, including the area in question, to ensure that there is sufficient school accommodation to meet any projected future demand. My Department has expended €40,935 in advancing the project to its current stage. A breakdown of this figure is contained in the table.
|
- |
Balance Type |
||
|
Enniskerry NS Roll No 17223O |
|||
|
Project |
2013 |
2012 |
|
|
17223O0000 |
Fees PSDS Interim |
615 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Architect Major Fees |
14,735 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Quantity Surveyor Major Fees |
5,328 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Mechanical & Electrical Major Fees |
3,296 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Structural Engineer Major Fees |
6,018 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Topographical survey |
3,515 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Site investigation |
2,689 |
3,589 |
|
17223O0000 |
Archaeological Survey |
396 |
0 |
|
17223O0000 |
Traffic Management Reports |
424 |
0 |
|
Ordnance Maps/Surveys |
330 |
0 |
|
|
Totals |
37,346 |
3,589 |
|
|
Overall Total |
40,935 |
225. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects the ECF figure for the to be merged Cork City and County Vocational Education Committee to be finalised; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25073/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe position is that the Department following the establishment of the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) will determine the ECF targets for individual ETBs and will communicate this to each ETB, including Cork ETB.
226. Deputy Ciarán Lynch asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a determination will be made regarding a Student Universal Support Ireland grant application in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25084/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 23/4/2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the appeals officer in 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/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board. The relevant appeal form will be available on request from SUSI.
227. Deputy Michael P. Kitt asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the maximum allocation of resource hours will be provided to children with Down's syndrome, and whether they will be recognised in their entirety and in their own right by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25097/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra228. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if children with Down's syndrome will now receive the resource teaching hours under the new recommendations on special education. [25108/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra232. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will make changes to circular 02/05 to add Down's syndrome to the list of complex low incidence disorders to enable adequate resource hours to children. [25125/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 227, 228 and 232 together.
The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down's syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, or where a special school or special class placement may be required to ensure such placements are provided for.
Pupils with Down's syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an allocation of individual additional resource teaching hours which are allocated by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), if the child is assessed as being within the low incidence category of special need, as defined by my Department's Circular Sp Ed 02/05. Pupils with Down's syndrome may be allocated resources under the category of mild general learning disability, or under the categories of moderate general learning difficulty or Assessed Syndrome, in conjunction with another Low Incidence disability.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a formal role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 in advising me in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities. My Department requested that the NCSE consider the issue of whether Down's syndrome should be reclassified as a low incidence disability in all instances, regardless of assessed cognitive ability, in the context of its preparation of comprehensive advice on how the educational system supports children with special educational needs in schools.
The NCSE report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools has now been published and is available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie. The report recommends that under the new resource allocation model proposed by the NCSE in its report, children should be allocated additional resources in line with their level of need, rather than by disability category. The NCSE has recommended that in the short-term, pupils with Down's syndrome pupils who are in the Mild General Learning Difficulty (Mild GLD) category should continue to be supported by schools' Learning Support allocation in the same way as other pupils with a Mild GLD. It has not been recommended that an exception should be made for children with Down's syndrome who are in the mild general learning difficulty range, over other children who are in the mild range and who also may have other co-morbid conditions.
However, the NCSE report states that it is confident that the introduction of a new allocation model will overcome the difficulty posed by all children with mild general learning disabilities, including children with Down's syndrome, who have additional difficulties and who can be supported according to their level of need and in line with their learning plan process. In the meantime, schools are reminded that they can differentiate the level of learning support granted to ensure that available resources are used to support children in line with their needs. I have requested the NCSE to immediately proceed to establish a Working Group in order to develop a proposal for a new Tailored Allocation Model, which is set out as one of the principal recommendations of the report.
229. Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 306 of 29 January 2013 the way his Department has justified a situation in which €207,854.02 is approved in funding for a special educational unit at a school built as part of the same bundle of PPP schools while another school in that same bundle received approval for only €13,500.00 for its special educational unit; if he will explain the reason the school receiving the lesser amount was directed by his Department to provide a special educational unit as part of its construction; the way the special education provision differs between each school where the second school is expected to equip its unit with one fifteenth of the money approved by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25115/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is my Department's general practice to include a special needs unit (SNU) in the accommodation brief for new school buildings, unless local circumstances indicate that it will not be required.The level of funding referred to by the Deputy is in accordance with the Department's current guidelines for funding SNUs. These guidelines changed in 2011 and any school which applied for funding before that date was grant-aided on a different basis. The current level of funding of €6,500 for one special class plus €7,000 to purchase equipment for the school's Multi Sensory Room is provided to all primary and post-primary schools irrespective of the delivery method used. In addition, grant aid is available to all schools to fund the purchase of special items of furniture for special needs pupils. The scheme applies to all children who are diagnosed as having special needs. Schools must apply directly to the Department and their applications must be supported by a report from a professional who assessed the pupil. Only furniture approved by the Department will be funded.
231. Deputy David Stanton asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No.109 of 27 February 2013, if a decision has been reached on an application from a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25119/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that an application for additional accommodation at the school, to which he refers, was approved in March 2013 and a significant devolved grant has been approved. Furthermore, I also wish to advise that consideration is been given to replacing the remaining prefab on site with permanent accommodation and Department officials will be in contact with the School Authority in this regard shortly.
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which qualification income guidelines affect eligibility for a higher education grant in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Kildare; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25133/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form, including those relating to residency and or nationality, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a grant. Budget 2013 provided for a 3% reduction in grant income thresholds in 2013 grant scheme. The measure will apply to both new and renewal. This reduction in thresholds does not apply to the threshold for the special rate of grant and the threshold for the €2,000 contribution at postgraduate will still be €31,500 for the 2013/14 academic year. The student grant scheme for the 2013/14 academic year was published on 16th May 2013 and is available on the studentfinance.ie website. To determine eligibility, for the 2013/2014 academic year, a student may submit a fully completed online grant application to SUSI, via studentfinance.ie.
234. Deputy Arthur Spring asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the allocation of a special needs assistant in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Kerry; when the person will be entitled to a review of the latest decision in relation to the allocation of SNA hours; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25141/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. SNAs are allocated to schools in order to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending such schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special Education supports and the staffing resources available to my Department.
The NCSE allocates a quantum of SNA support for each school annually taking into account the care needs of all of the qualifying children enrolled in the school, and on the basis of the assessed care needs of the children. It is a matter for schools to then allocate and manage these resources to assist children as their needs arise. All schools were advised to apply to the NCSE for SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March 2013. The NCSE are currently processing these applications and schools will be notified by SENOs of their SNA allocations for 2013/14 in advance of the coming school year, based on the number of valid applications received.
Where a school considers that it has not received a sufficient quantum of SNA support to cater for the care needs of all qualifying children, the school may apply to the NCSE for additional SNA support or for a review of their SNA allocation. Whereas there is no prescriptive timeframe before which a review may take place, it will be expected that schools, before requesting any such review, will be in a position to demonstrate that they have made every effort to manage any SNA allocation that has already been made to their school to best effect. All schools have the names and contact details of their local SENO. Parents may also contact their local SENO directly to discuss their child's special educational needs, using the contact details available on www.ncse.ie.
235. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps he will take to ensure that new qualified teaching graduates can take up employment in their profession here; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that many newly graduated teachers have been forced to seek work abroad, and the great loss this is to the education sector here; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25145/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe issue of teacher supply is kept under review by my Department. I acknowledge that the various budget measures that have taken place in recent years can limit the employment opportunities for newly qualified teachers. However, there are limits to the number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund as a country.
The redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is the first mechanism to fill teaching posts in schools. This is key to the ability of my Department to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. There are standard arrangements in place for filling any remaining vacancies which gives employment opportunities for teachers on fixed-term or part-time contracts and also newly qualified teachers.
Data from the 2011 census show a significant increase in the numbers of people identifying themselves as teachers since the 2006 census. That increase is substantial even in relation to other occupations which also had an increase. Census data for 2011 show unemployment among this group, at 3.5%, well below the national average. That said, I am aware that there are newly qualified teachers not yet holding teaching positions in schools and measures have been taken to alleviate difficulties for new teachers. My Department has directed managerial authorities of schools to recruit unemployed teachers ahead of retired ones, in an effort to ease the difficulties for those who cannot find work in the profession.
In addition, the JobBridge National Internship Scheme can provide newly qualified teachers with opportunities to gain experience and to undertake the necessary teaching duties to complete the process of probation. The minimum service requirement for probation purposes in order to secure registration with the Teaching Council was decreased from 170 days to 100 days in the 2011/2012 school year.
