Written Answers Nos. 110-117
110. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a person who is employed as a special needs assistant may work beyond his or her 65th birthday; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31003/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe end of the school year in which age 65 is reached is the maximum age to which pensionable service may be given by a SNA who is not "a new entrant" under the terms of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004.
The abolition of compulsory retirement age under the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 applies to new entrants only. The retirement provisions which apply to public servants (including SNAs) who are not new entrants are not affected by the Act and there are no proposals to remove the compulsory retirement age in the case of such staff. SNAs who are not new entrants must therefore, (as has been the position for many years), retire at the end of the school-year in which they attain age 65.
111. Deputy Patrick Nulty asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding home tuition hours in respect of children (details supplied) in Dublin 15; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31015/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that my Department's home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for preschool children with autism.
I wish to advise the Deputy that allocations to siblings under the Home Tuition scheme are reflective of the school grouping principle. This is where one teacher is allocated to a class of six pupils at the appropriate educational level, primary or post primary. Accordingly, it is considered appropriate, as in a school situation, that a tutor can provide tuition at the appropriate educational level to more than one sibling at that level simultaneously in the home.
The Deputy will be also aware that the NCSE is responsible for the provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for students with special educational needs. In particular, its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) co-ordinates special needs education provision at local level and arranges for the delivery of special educational services. The SENOs act as single points of contact for parents of students with special educational needs. Another specific function of the SENO is to identify appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs and SENOs are a valuable source of support to parents who are actively sourcing a placement for their children.
112. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive their Student Universal Support Ireland grant. [31108/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, his student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on the 31st of May 2013. On that basis, the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome.
Where an appeal is turned down in writing by SUSI and the applicant remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his or her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
113. Deputy Martin Ferris asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a person (details supplied) in County Kerry will receive a Student Universal Support Ireland grant. [31109/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, her student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on the 11th of June 2013. On that basis, the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome.
Where an appeal is turned down in writing by SUSI and the applicant remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his or her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
114. Deputy Dan Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills when a grant application will be finalised in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Limerick; if any outstanding information needs to be supplied by the applicant; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31114/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraOfficials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that requested additional documentation was incomplete. The applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on 15th March, 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.
115. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to continuing delay with the processing of some student grant scheme applications for the academic year 2012-13, and the delay in replies to students and public representatives in relation to these applications; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31139/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that there are a small number of applications being closed out, and the turnaround time on receipt of outstanding documentation is normally two to three working days. There a number of appeals in the system also which are being prioritised. It is understood from SUSI that there has been some delays in dealing with the Oireachtas Helpdesk, however priority is being given to dealing with any outstanding queries.
116. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding cuts to resource hours for children (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31143/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra117. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position in relation to cuts to resource hours for children, in view of the fact that the number of resource teachers and special needs assistants is capped at current levels even though the school going population is set to increase dramatically in the next five years; in view of the vital service provided and needed, if he will reverse this decision as a matter of urgency and put in place steps to ensure that all needs are provided for with extra resource teachers and SNAs sanctioned; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31144/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together.
I wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and nearly 10,000 Learning Support and Resource Teachers. These resources have been protected despite the ongoing severe financial position.
Whereas the allocations of SNA support for individual schools may change each year in line with a school's enrolment of children with care needs, there has been no reduction to the overall number of SNA posts being provided for schools for the coming school year. This provision remains at 10,575 posts, which will ensure that all children who qualify for access to SNA support for the coming school year will receive access to such support.
The total number of SNA posts allocated to schools for the 2012/13 school year was 10,487 posts. For the 2011/12 school year it was 10,320 posts. It is therefore estimated that there will be sufficient SNA posts to provide access to SNA support for all children who require such support in the coming school year.
In relation to the allocation of resource teaching support for schools from September 2013, demand for support has risen again this year, due to a combination of demographic growth and increased assessments.
Despite the fact that the overall number of posts available to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for allocation to schools had been maintained at existing levels, the allocations announced by the NCSE last week were reduced to take into account the growth in demand, within the maintained number of posts, in order to ensure that equivalent allocations could be made for all qualifying children.
The Deputy will be aware that I announced yesterday that I have now authorised the NCSE to retain the level of resource teaching allocations which can be provided for students with special educational needs to the 2012/13 levels. This will mean that there will not now be any reduction to resource teaching time for children over the level which applied last year. I also committed to ensuring that the resources which will be required to ensure that the allocations can be made to schools at existing levels will be provided, including resources required to meet any late demand expected to arise between now and the start of the school year. The NCSE will shortly publish revised details of the Resource Teaching allocations for all schools, based on existing allocation levels, and will be advising schools of their revised allocations in the coming days. In the longer term, it is proposed to develop new allocations system to improve how we provide our allocations to school.
I am concerned that the scale of increased demand for resource teachers this year, if it were to continue, would make the current system unsustainable. I am asking the NCSE to consider the reasons for the unprecedented 12 per cent rise in applications for resource teacher support this year, which compares with an annual 1.3 per cent increase in the number of students attending school in the current year.
The Deputy will be aware that the NCSE recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. I have, as suggested by the Report, requested the NCSE to establish a Working Group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a 'tailored' allocation model, which will underpin a new allocation system for teaching supports for children with Special Educational Needs based on the profiled educational needs of children in schools.
Mr Eamonn Stack, who is the NCSE Chairperson, will chair this working group and the group, which will include parents, will begin its work immediately.
It will report to me in September on the progress of its work, to develop advice on how to reform the way the substantial additional educational resources for pupils with special educational needs are allocated in the school system.
In the interim, I wish to ensure that children will not be disadvantaged while we move towards a new model which will ensure greater fairness and quality of education for children with special educational needs. That is why I have made the decision to maintain the existing allocation levels this year.
