Written Answers Nos. 165-182
165. Deputy Kevin Humphreys asked the Minister for Finance if a person in receipt of the back to work enterprise allowance is eligible for the start your own business incentive; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54344/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn the recent Budget I announced the Start Your Own Business initiative, which provides an exemption from Income Tax for individuals who have been unemployed for a period of 12 months and who start a new, un-incorporated business between 25 October 2013 and 31 December 2016. I can confirm that a person in receipt of the Back to Work Enterprise Allowance is eligible for the initiative.
166. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance if he will provide details of the new rules that apply to tax relief on pension contributions; if the new rules apply equally to all categories of employees; the transitional or phasing in arrangements that may apply; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54360/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI assume the Deputy’s question relates to the changes to the Standard Fund Threshold (SFT) regime announced in my 2014 Budget Statement and reflected in the Finance (No.2) Bill 2013. The primary purpose of the changes I am making to the SFT regime is to further restrict the capacity of higher earners to fund or accrue large pensions through tax-subsidised sources. The SFT regime addresses the problem of pension overfunding and excessive pension accrual by dealing with it at the point of pension drawdown in retirement rather than by applying restrictions to pension savings or accrual upfront. The regime achieves this by imposing a penal tax charge on the value of retirement benefits above set limits when they are drawn down. In this way it acts to discourage the building up of large pension funds in the first place or unwinds the tax advantage of such overfunding by clawing back, through the penal tax charge, the tax relief granted.
The changes I am making can be summarised as follows;
- firstly, the absolute value of the SFT is being reduced, with effect from 1 January 2014, from €2.3m to €2m,
- secondly, the valuation factor to be used for establishing the capital value of defined benefit (DB) pension rights at the point of retirement, where this takes place after 1 January 2014, is being changed from the current standard valuation factor of 20 to a range of higher age–related valuation factors that will vary with the individual’s age at the point at which the pension rights are drawn down,
- thirdly, in calculating the capital value of a DB pension at the point of retirement, transitional arrangements provide for a “split” calculation where part of the pension had already been accrued at 1 January 2014 so that the part accrued up to that date will be valued at a factor of 20 and the part accrued after that date valued at the appropriate higher age-related valuation factor,
- finally, the reimbursement options, introduced in Finance Act 2012, for public servants affected by chargeable excess tax are being amended and extended.
As occurred on the occasion of the introduction of the SFT regime in 2005, and again when the value of the SFT limit was reduced to €2.3m in 2010, the legislation contained in the Finance Bill provides for an individual who has pension rights on 1 January 2014 in excess of the new lower SFT limit of €2m, to claim a Personal Fund Threshold (PFT) from Revenue in order to protect or "grandfather" the value of those rights on that date. This is subject to a maximum PFT of €2.3m, and individuals with PFTs from 2005 or 2010 retain those PFTs.
As before, the "grandfathering" provisions contained in the legislation reflect legal advice from the Attorney General. However, unlike previous occasions, the grandfathering arrangements this time around had to take cognisance not just of the reduction in the absolute level of the SFT from 1 January 2014, but also of the increase, from that date, in the factors for converting DB pension rights into capital value equivalents. It is for that reason, lest there be any suggestion that the changes had retrospective application, that DB rights accrued up to 1 January 2014 are to be capitalised at the existing valuation factor of 20, both for the purposes of determining if there is a PFT and for the purposes of placing a capital value on those rights at the time of retirement, where that takes place after 1 January 2014.
The changes and grandfathering arrangements outlined above apply, as appropriate, to both DB and defined contribution (DC) pension arrangements in both the private and public sectors. As regards DB pension arrangements, it is irrelevant whether an individual is a higher paid public servant or a highly paid member of a private sector DB scheme, the same SFT rules apply to all such arrangements.
Specifically, the new lower SFT limit will apply to both DC and DB arrangements. Those in DC pension arrangements can seek a PFT from Revenue if the capital value of their arrangements exceeds €2m on 1 January 2014, subject to a maximum PFT of €2.3m. If the value of their DC pension arrangements is below the SFT on 1 January 2014, their funds can continue to accumulate up to €2m through further tax-relieved pension contributions and fund growth, subject to the various annual contribution and earnings limits that apply, without any risk of a chargeable excess arising. Members of DB pension arrangements can equally aspire to a maximum "tax–relieved" fund of €2m. However, in the case of DB pension arrangements, members of such arrangements do not have individual “earmarked” funds (as is the case in DC arrangements) and this, coupled with the fact that pension benefits in such arrangements reflect a "benefit promise" based on salary and service, dictates that the capital value of pension rights arising under such arrangements has to be determined in some other way.
The SFT regime provides (and has always provided) a simple formula for this purpose. The formula essentially requires the annual amount of pension payable to an individual under the arrangement to be multiplied by a valuation or capitalisation factor in order to establish the capital value, both for PFT purposes and for the purposes of establishing the value of DB pension rights at the point of retirement. Up to now, a single valuation factor of 20 has been used for these purposes. In light, however, of the major criticism levelled at the existing SFT regime, that the fixed rate conversion factor of 20:1 was inequitable relative to DC pension arrangements given the higher market annuity rates that those with DC pension arrangements could face if they were to purchase annuities, I have moved to introduce higher age-related factors. This will substantially improve the equity between DC and DB arrangements and as between those who retire at younger ages and those who retire later in life. These are significant changes.
The value of DB pension rights accrued up to 1 January 2014 will, under the grandfathering requirements, be valued for the purposes of the SFT regime at the existing factor of 20. If the capital value so determined exceeds the new lower SFT limit of €2m, such individuals may seek a PFT from Revenue, subject to the overall limit of €2.3m referred to earlier. In such cases, additional pension benefits accrued after 1 January will be valued using the relevant higher age-related factor and will, as for DC arrangements, be fully exposed to chargeable excess tax. Where the capital value of DB rights is less than €2m on 1 January, such individuals may continue to accrue pension rights up to the SFT limit but those additional rights will be valued at the relevant higher age-related factor.
Whether DB or DC arrangements are involved, on each occasion that an individual becomes entitled to receive a benefit under a pension arrangement for the first time (called a "benefit crystallisation event" or BCE) they use up part of their SFT or PFT, as the case may be. At each BCE, a capital value has to be attributed to the benefits that crystallise and the value is then tested against the SFT or the individual’s PFT, as appropriate, by the pension scheme administrator. For DC pension arrangements, the capital value of pension rights when they are drawn down after 1 January 2014 is simply the value of the assets in the arrangement that represent the member’s accumulated rights on that date, in other words the value of the DC fund at the point of drawdown. In the case of DB pension arrangements, the default position is that the capital value of such rights drawn down after 1 January 2014 is determined by multiplying the gross annual pension that would be payable to the individual by the appropriate age-related valuation factor. If the DB arrangement provides for a separate lump sum entitlement (otherwise than by way of commutation of part of the pension) e.g. most public service schemes, the value of the lump sum is added to the capital value of the DB pension to arrive at the overall capital value.
However, reflecting the grandfathering requirements referred to earlier, where part of the DB pension has been accrued at 1 January 2014 and part after that date, the transitional arrangements provide for the part accrued at 1 January to be valued at the factor of 20 and the part accrued after that date at the appropriate higher age-related factor.
When the capital value of a BCE, either on its own or when aggregated with earlier BCEs, exceeds the SFT, or an individual's PFT, the excess is subject to an immediate tax charge at 41%, which has to be paid upfront by the pension fund administrator and recovered from the individual. In addition, when the remainder of the excess is subsequently drawn down as a pension (or, for example, by way of a distribution from an Approved Retirement Fund or vested Personal Retirement Savings Account) it is subject to tax at the individual’s marginal rate, thus giving rise to an effective income tax rate on a chargeable excess of some 65%, excluding any liability to USC and PRSI.
The Finance Bill also amends and extends the reimbursement options, introduced in Finance Act 2012, for public servants affected by chargeable excess tax who are required to reimburse the public sector pension fund administrator for the upfront payment of the tax to Revenue. Unlike affected individuals in the private sector, public servants cannot minimise or prevent the breaching of the SFT or PFT by ceasing contributions or benefit accrual. The focus of the changes is to reduce the amount that can be recovered from the net retirement lump sum payable to the individual to a maximum of 20% of the net lump sum (from 50%) and to include the option of reimbursement of the pension fund administrator solely by way of a reduction in the gross pension payable over a period not exceeding 20 years.
167. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Finance the number, shown separately for the public and private sectors, of workers who currently earn less than €30,000 per annum. [54382/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am informed by the Revenue Commissioners that the latest relevant sector-based information available on income earners in the tax system is derived from income tax returns filed for the income tax year 2011 and represents about 95 per cent of all returns expected at the time the data was compiled for analytical purposes. The data relating to the public sector includes individuals in receipt of various forms of income from public sources that would not normally be regarded as constituting employment within the public service, e.g. those receiving fees, those on State Boards etc. On the basis of the available tax-based data it is not possible to identify and exclude income from public sources to groups that would not normally be regarded as employed within the public service or to distinguish the earnings of employees associated with atypical work patterns. On this basis, the total numbers of public sector income earners and private sector income earners, including self-employed earners, who had earnings of less than €30,000 in the tax year 2011 is 176,800 and 935,600 respectively.
A married couple which has elected or has been deemed to have elected for joint assessment is counted as one tax unit.
168. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance the total amount spent on external IT consultants by his Department in 2010, 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; the estimated spending in 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54440/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra170. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Finance if his Department has renegotiated external IT consultancy contracts and costs since March 2011; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54472/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 168 and 170 together.
The information requested by the Deputy could not be collated in the time available. My Department will respond directly to the Deputy by the end of this week.
169. Deputy Billy Timmins asked the Minister for Finance the cost of legal action against his Department for the years 2011, 2012 and to date in 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54456/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy could not be collated in the time available. My Department will respond directly to the Deputy by the end of this week.
171. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the child protection standards in place in the English language school sector which uses host family accommodation; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53710/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraWhile the English language school sector is not formally regulated, English Language Teaching Organisations (ELTOs) may seek recognition from ACELS, which is operated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI). The ACELS recognition standards specify that all English Language Teaching junior centres, that is centres which cater for minors, should seek Garda clearance for all staff and host families.
Under the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act, 2012, QQI is responsible for the introduction of a Code of Practice for the education of international learners, and related International Education Mark. When introduced, these will replace the current ACELS regime. QQI intends to develop the Code of Practice, in consultation with stakeholders, in the first half of next year. Issues relating to child protection will be considered fully in that context. Providers will then have to demonstrate compliance with the Code of Practice in order to be granted authorisation to use the International Education Mark.
172. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a review of the scope and governance of the ICT action plan will be carried out to encompass all sources of ICT skills supply and ensure clarity of responsibilities for the overall co-ordination and implementation of actions, as recommended in the Forfás report, Addressing Future Demand for High-Level ICT Skills, November 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53946/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra215. Deputy Nicky McFadden asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional iterations of the NFQ level 8 conversion programme will be run in 2014 as a strategic response to meeting ICT skills demand, as recommended by the Forfás report, Addressing Future Demand for High-Level ICT Skills, November 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53952/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra226. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of the 900,000 jobs mentioned he expects to be created in Ireland by 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52544/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 172, 215 and 226 together.
My Department and the Department of Jobs Enterprise and Innovation are jointly leading the process to develop a new ICT Skills Action Plan to be launched in tandem with the Action Plan for Jobs 2014. A study was undertaken for the European Commission in April 2013 which projected that there may be up to 900,000 ICT job vacancies in Europe by 2015. While that report did not provide a breakdown of the potential vacancies by country, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs (EGFSN) has just published a report which estimates that there will be more than 44,500 potential job openings for ICT professionals in Ireland over the period from 2013 to 2018, including almost 20,400 potential job openings for both new graduates and skilled professionals between 2013 and 2015.
The findings of the EGFSN study are informing the development of the new ICT Skills Plan which will replace the Government's first ICT skills Action Plan launched in 2012 as a collaboration between Government, industry and the education system to increase the supply of high level ICT graduates. The study also shows that the output of mainstream computer graduates has increased by 25% over the last 2 years and a doubling of graduate output now expected to be achieved by 2015 – 3 years ahead of the Action Plan target of 2018. In addition, as part of the Plan, almost 1,500 places have been provided for graduate jobseekers under two the rounds of the ICT graduate skills conversion programmes that have issued to date and 6,000 places have been provided on ICT programmes under the three rounds of the Springboard reskilling initiative that have issued since 2011. A call for new rounds of the ICT upskilling and conversion courses is expected to issue in early 2014.
It is intended that the scope of the revised Plan will be broadened to encompass measures to increase the supply of highly skilled ICT professionals from abroad as well as an increase the domestic supply of high level ICT graduates.
173. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that the Libyan Government is reported to be sending more than 20,000 students abroad to study, the contacts there have been between the Irish Government and the Libyan Government to facilitate Libyan students coming to Ireland to study English and go on to third level; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54172/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra174. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if restrictive application conditions for Libyan Government sponsored students in Ireland which gives competitive advantage to the authorities in the UK, US and Canada who do not have such a requirement, whereby they can thereby attract a large number of Libyan sponsored students to their shores will be amended; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54173/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra232. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills in view of the fact that the Libyan Government is reported to be sending over 20,000 students abroad to study both English and also third level studies, the steps he has taken to facilitate Libyan students coming here to study; if he has met with the Department of Justice and Equality to discuss the granting of the same procedures to sponsored students from Libya as are afforded to sponsored students from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. [54167/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra233. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills the steps being taken to ensure that Libyan students are being issued with conditional letters of acceptance from higher education institutes, HEIs, in an appropriate and timely manner, as many applicants are complaining that conditional letter are taking very lengthy periods to be issued by HEIs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54168/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 173, 174, 232 and 233 together.
The Government is strongly committed to promoting Ireland as a centre for international education and to developing relationships with partner countries. We currently attract very few Libyan students to Ireland, and we are interested in growing that number in order to support the human capacity needs of Libyan society.
As the Deputy points out, Ireland has developed very successful partnerships with a number of countries in the region to educate Government-funded scholarship students. We are very open to developing a similar relationship with the Libyan Government, and contact has been made through diplomatic channels.
My Department works very closely with the Department of Justice and Equality on all issues related to international student recruitment, including issues related to Libyan students.
I am not aware of any restrictive conditions which apply particularly to Libyan students. My Department has no role in issuing conditional letters of offer, which is a matter for the institutions concerned.
175. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the recent budget decision to introduce a flat rate fee for apprentices for attending institutes of technologies during their apprenticeship; if he will overturn this decision to impose these crippling fees on these young workers on whom our future industry, economy and communities rely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54329/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra190. Deputy Jack Wall asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a submission (details supplied) regarding apprentices; his plans to address the issues as outlined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53772/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra249. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will review the recent budget decision to introduce a flat rate fee for apprentices for attending institutes of technologies during their apprenticeship; if he will overturn this decision to impose these crippling fees on these young workers on whom our future industry, economy and communities rely; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54328/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 190, 249 and 175 together.
The Annual Student Contribution is levied on students attending Institutes of Technology. The amount due in respect of full time students for the academic year 2013 / 2014 is €2,500.
The contribution has been levied by Institutes of Technology in respect of apprentices since 2004, with FÁS/SOLAS paying part of the contribution and apprentices themselves paying the part relating to examination fees. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS will cease making payments to Institutes of Technology and apprentices will pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution. This is a decision taken in the context of the overall savings my Department had to find for 2014 and future years.
Apprentices will pay the same contribution as students, apportioned for the time they spend in the Institutes. Unlike students, apprentices are paid a training allowances by SOLAS for phases of their training spent in Institutes of Technology. This allowance is equivalent to the wages they receive from their employers for on the job phases and is unaffected by the budgetary changes.
The decision has been taken against a difficult budgetary background and there is no scope to re-visit it.
176. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of instances of various forms of bullying brought to the attention of his Department in the past 12 months to date; the extent to which it has been found possible to respond to the issues as they arose; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [54363/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that I recently published new anti-bullying procedures for all primary and post primary schools. These new procedures have been developed following consultation with the relevant education partners and replace guidelines that were issued to schools in 1993.
The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. They include specific requirements in relation to the use of prevention and education strategies and the consistent investigation, follow up and recording of bullying behaviour.
There is no requirement that schools report incidents of bullying behaviour to my Department. The procedures however include important new oversight arrangements that involve the school Principal reporting regularly to the Board of Management and a requirement for the Board to undertake an annual review of the school's anti- bullying policy and its implementation. Confirmation that the annual review has been completed must be provided to the parents association and published on the school website.
All schools are now required to immediately commence the necessary arrangements for developing and formally adopting an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of the new procedures. This is expected to be completed by each school as early as possible in the 2013/14 school year but in any event by no later than the end of the second term of the 2013/14 school year.
177. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department currently collects information on the attainment, transfer, attendance, suspension and expulsion rates of Traveller students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53664/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra178. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way his Department intends to monitor the impact of recent cuts to Traveller specific education supports on the educational outcomes of Traveller students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53665/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra179. Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 256 of 19 November 2013, the amount of funding previously allocated to Traveller specific education provision that has been redeployed; the mainstream programmes on which it is being spent; and the the way Travellers are benefiting from this; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53666/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 177 to 179, inclusive, together.
Current policy in relation to Traveller education is underpinned by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation with relevant stakeholders including Traveller representative groups.
The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy and, accordingly, the focus of both current and future provision is on the development of a more inclusive school environment through the whole school planning process, teaching practice, admissions policies, codes of behaviour and whole school evaluation. In keeping with this principle, additional resources provided in the education system are allocated on the basis of identified individual educational need.
Following the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision, Traveller pupils now avail of the following mainstream resources, similar to all other children:
- Free Pre-school Year
- School transport
- Classroom Teacher Allocation at Primary and Post-Primary level
- Learning Resource Teachers at Primary and Post-Primary Level in the case of identified special educational need
- Further and adult Education
Recorded Traveller participation rates in education in recent years show:
- A total of some 12,000 self-identified Travellers in mainstream primary and post-primary education.
- The majority of Traveller students transfer from primary to post-primary education.
- The number of Traveller children enrolled in post-primary school has risen by 46% in the 7 years to 2011-2012
- Participation rates in the junior cycle have steadily improved from 1,598 Traveller students recorded in 2004/05 to 1,898 in the 2011/12 school year.
- The number of Travellers progressing to senior cycle has consistently improved in recent years from 260 in 2004/05 to 800 in 2011/12.
- In 2012, 579 Travellers were enrolled on the Youthreach programme and 672 Travellers participated in the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI).
- The estimated number attending third level is 3% compared to 53% of the general population. The 'Equal Access' survey of the ethnic and cultural backgrounds of entrants to higher education in 2011/12 indicates that 29 who identified as Travellers attended third level compared to 24 in 2008/09.
- As data collected throughout the education system is based on self-identification, the actual number of Travellers in education may be higher than the figures quoted above.
Information on the attainment of all pupils at second level is collected by the State Examinations Commission. Information relating to attendance, suspensions and expulsions is collected by the National Educational Welfare Board.
My Department is currently revising the collection and collation of data on Traveller pupils through the Primary Census form for primary pupils and through the Post-Primary Pupil Database for post-primary pupils which will facilitate improved monitoring of progression and attainment of Traveller across the primary and post-primary school sectors.
Following the phasing out of segregated Traveller provision, Travellers now avail of the following mainstream resources, similar to all other children:
- Free Pre-school Year
- School transport
- Classroom Teacher Allocation at Primary and Post-Primary level
- Learning Resource Teachers at Primary and Post-Primary Level in the case of identified special educational need
- Further and adult Education
The cuts to which the Deputy refers relate to the reduction in funding for segregated Traveller specific programmes such as Resource Teachers for Travellers, Visiting Teacher Service and the phasing out of Senior Traveller Training Centres. A portion of the funding previously allocated to segregated education provision for Travellers has been redeployed to mainstream programmes in line with the principle of inclusion. However significant Traveller specific funding also remains in the system. In 2012, the most recent year for which full expenditure details are available, €20.6m was paid in respect of some 12,000 Travellers in the education system in addition to funding already made available for mainstream provision.
180. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will revisit his decision to provide for two newly built vertical schools on one site in Maynooth and provide for a junior-senior structure; in view of the fact that the education and training board, ETB, is the preferred patron for both, if he will engage with it on this option; if his attention has been drawn to the extensive concern in the area and the desire for a more inclusive option; if he will meet the parents representatives; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53680/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra181. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the educational reasons for not allowing a junior-senior cycle at Maynooth post-primary school; the reason the parents associations were not formally provided with this information; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53681/13]
Amharc ar fhreagra182. Deputy Catherine Murphy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has concluded his inquiries about the dual enrolment policies and the erroneous designation of Maynooth post-primary school as a Catholic school; if so, the result of the inquiries; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [53682/13]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 180 to 182, inclusive, together.
There are fundamental educational reasons for not allowing a junior/senior post-post primary school configuration in Maynooth. These include: - The introduction of a third major transfer point for students between primary level and third level
- The question of which school the Transition Year should be placed in
- The undermining of Department policy to maintain as common a curriculum as possible for as long as possible to avoid the risk of specialisation too early and school drop out
- The potential danger that the senior school will come to be seen as the 'specialist' Leaving Certificate centre into which transfers are sought at senior cycle
- The loss of the advantages to be gained when teachers regularly teach students from first year to sixth year
- The possibility of students from other schools seeking entry to the senior school with the attendant repercussions for other schools. Apart for these compelling educational reasons, patronage of the new school, was awarded to the Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board (KWETB) specifically on the basis that it would deliver the prescribed curriculum at both Junior and Senior Cycle. Any change to this stated intention could lead to a challenge or to calls for the patronage determination process to be commenced afresh. This could have the effects of both delaying the establishment of the new school and, of course, re-opening the patronage of the new school to other applicant patrons.
I have met with a parents' deputation and, in accordance with normal protocol following such meetings, I communicated the outcome of my subsequent consideration of this matter to the Deputies who had requested the meeting. I also recently wrote directly to the Chairperson of the Maynooth Schools Group fully outlining the reasons for my decision to provide Maynooth with two fully-vertical post-primary schools and confirming that I am adhering to this decision.
I am satisfied that the enrolment procedures put in place by the management structure developed by the KTWEB for the new campus will ensure a fair and equitable enrolment policy for both schools. I am also satisfied that the erroneous description of the existing post-primary school in Maynooth as being a designed Community College was corrected as soon as it came to light and that this had no bearing on the outcome of the patronage determination process for the new school.
