Written Answers Nos. 507-525
507. Deputy Michelle Mulherin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the guidelines under article 15(8) of the student grant scheme 2014 that allow an awarding authority discretion to waive the provisions of articles 15(6) and 15(7); when she issued those guidelines to the awarding authorities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38151/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Guidelines for an Awarding Authority, which includes the guidelines under article 15(8) of the Student Grant Scheme 2014, referred to by the Deputy, issued in hard copy to the awarding authorities on 28th May and in electronic format on 29th May.
The guidelines document issued in conjunction with the 2014 Student Grant Scheme and Student Support Regulations for the 2014/15 academic year.
508. Deputy Joe Higgins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who have left undergraduate and postgraduate courses in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014 due to financial reasons; the measures she has in place to assist students with children keeping their places in university; the steps she will take to improve retention of students with children in undergraduate and postgraduate study; the financial assistance she will make available for such students; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38154/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information in relation to students who have left college due to financial reasons is not available in the format requested. The Deputy will be aware that affordability is just one of the factors that impact on students continued participation in higher education.
The student grant is the main source of financial assistance available for students in full-time higher education and can be paid to qualifying students in addition to the One Parent Family Payment. Where the student is in receipt of the one parent family payment (means tested), that payment is not taken into consideration when calculating reckonable income for a student grant. One parent family payment (means tested) is also an eligible payment for the higher special rate of maintenance grant, subject to the other qualifying conditions. In addition, students experiencing financial hardship can apply to their higher education institution for support from the Student Assistance Fund.
Many higher education institutions (including all of the universities) provide crèches or—in the case of some institutes of technology—childcare funds to subsidise students' childcare costs, thereby providing an additional element of support for students with children. All higher education institutions provide a range of student-support services to support students' successful participation in higher education, including online learning resources, and counselling, health and disability services.
Improving student-progression is a national strategic priority, which is being advanced through the on-going reform of the transition from secondary to higher education, led by my Department.
509. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teaching posts that are being funded in primary, secondary, vocational, community and comprehensive schools in counties Longford and Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38182/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraStatistics in relation to teacher numbers and pupil enrolment are published annually by my Department on its website. The most recent published statistics relate to the 2013/2014 school year.
510. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistant posts being funded in schools in counties Longford and Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38183/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe 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. 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 assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support. To date, the NCSE have allocated over 10,900 SNA posts to schools for the 2014/15 school year.
These details are available on the NCSE website, www.ncse.ie, and detail the allocations made for each school on a per county basis, including details of the SNA allocations made for schools in Counties Longford and Westmeath.
The deployment of SNAs within schools is then a matter for the individual Principal/Board of Management. SNAs should be deployed by the school in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. It is a matter for schools to allocate support as required, and on the basis of individual need, which allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
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.
511. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of pupils attending primary and post-primary in counties Longford and Westmeath; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38184/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe enrolments in each primary and post-primary school by county is available on my Departments website at the following link: http://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individual-Schools/. The data refers to 2013/14 which is the most recent data available.
512. Deputy James Bannon asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress being made in providing all primary and post-primary schools in counties Longford and Westmeath with high-speed broadband; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38202/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll post primary schools will be connected with 100Mbit/s by the end of 2014.
Primary schools are connected under a framework that has been in place since 2012, as a result of this framework the number of service providers to the Schools Broadband Programme for schools has been increased from 6 to 14 and this has led to a greater availability of improved services being made available for schools, most of the new providers are small wireless operators.
In Longford and Westmeath there are currently 39 schools connected using fixed wireless services and 74 connected using fixed line services. Two schools are connected using satellite however these two schools have been awarded to a different provider and are awaiting installation of fixed wireless connections.
513. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is satisfied with the widespread use of subcontractors by companies engaged in Government-funded school building programmes; and her view on the contention that the widespread use of RCT1s on these jobs is not resulting in tax avoidance, forced social welfare fraud or the undermining of workers’ wages and conditions. [38208/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra514. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the ongoing industrial action at a college (details supplied) in County Dublin; the contacts she had with the contractor, the local education and training board, the Revenue Commissioners and the contractors administration services regarding complaints made to her office with respect to the alleged abuse of RCT1s and alleged tax avoidance and undermining of workers’ wages and conditions; and her views that workers at this site are not being forced to work in the black economy. [38209/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 513 and 514 together.
I am aware of an issue at the school site referred to by the Deputy. I would encourage all parties involved to use the appropriate industrial relations channels to resolve this current matter. School building projects which are funded from public moneys, including the school project in question, are required to use the forms of contract provided under the Capital Works Management Framework which includes a suite of public works contracts, standard conditions of engagement, model forms, suitability assessment questionnaires and guidance notes published by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). The OGP is an office within the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform which has been tasked with centralising public sector procurement arrangements for common goods and services.
A building project is a complex arrangement of contractual relationships between the client, the main contractor, specialist sub-contractors, domestic sub-contractors, suppliers of materials, suppliers of plant etc. In general all sub-contractors employed on education sector building projects are employed directly by the Main Contractor or indirectly by the Main Contractor through other sub-contractors. It is a matter for all sub-contractors to agree terms and conditions and a schedule of payments with the Main Contractor as their direct employer.
Dublin and Dún Laoghaire Education and Training Board is the Client/Employer under the Contract for the particular project to which the Deputy refers. While my Department is the funding authority for the project, it is not a party to the Contract and, as such, my Department has had no direct dealings with the Contractor regarding this particular project.
515. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide additional resource teacher hours in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38238/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to inform the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) published details of allocations for resource teaching and SNA support for each school, for the 2014/2015 school year, in June of this year. These details are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie.
In order to meet any late demand for resource teaching and SNA support arising between the time that the initial allocation was made and the start of the school year, the NCSE requested all schools to submit outstanding applications for resource teaching and SNA support to the NCSE by 22nd September, 2014.
The NCSE are currently considering all such applications and will shortly be advising schools of any revised allocations.
As the Deputy's question refers to an application for resource teaching hours to the NCSE for an individual child, I have referred this question to the NCSE for their consideration and direct reply to the Deputy.
516. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the procedure regarding evaluation of a school; and if a school may seek to be revaluated or must it wait until her Department schedules an evaluation. [38240/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchools are selected for an evaluation by the management of the Inspectorate in accordance with planned and risk-based approaches to inspection, and not in response to requests from individual schools.
The Inspectorate has moved from the cyclical evaluation of schools using a single inspection model to a planned annual inspection programme which targets the Inspectorate's resources more efficiently. This is supported by the recent expansion of the range of evaluation models deployed by the Inspectorate, to include short, one-day, unannounced inspections, more rigorous whole-school type evaluations, and follow-through inspections.
In general, the criteria used to select schools for evaluation include:
- The inspection history of the school (date of the last inspection visit and, where relevant, the subject(s) inspected)
- Size of school (to ensure spread across small, medium and large schools)
- Data from previous inspections, including data from short incidental inspections, whole-school evaluations and follow-through inspections
- Nature of recommendations made during previous inspections
- Availability of inspectors with the necessary skills as, for example, subject inspections at post-primary level are conducted by subject specialist inspectors
- Medium of instruction (to ensure that both Irish medium and English medium schools are inspected)
- School management and patronage type to ensure that schools from each sector are well represented.
Whilst the programme of inspection includes schools identified through the Inspectorate's risk procedures as likely to benefit from external evaluation, schools at all levels of quality of performance are also included. This allows the Inspectorate to recognise, affirm and disseminate very good and exemplary practice across the system through the publication of inspection reports.
517. Deputy Frank Feighan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the fact that families are suffering financial hardship as a result of the criteria laid down by her Department in respect of the distance from home to college to qualify for grant assistance which is now increased to 50 km; and her further views on a reduction in the distance to qualify for grant. [38249/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe current qualifying distance for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant is 45km, and not 50km as referred to by the Deputy. This distance takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis.
No change was made to the qualifying distance in the 2014 scheme.
519. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide information on the number of State agencies or organisations under the remit of her Department which are paid up members of IBEC; the names of each agency or organisation; the amount which each agency or organisation paid to IBEC in the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and to date in 2014; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [38725/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is contained in the following table, which sets out the membership fees paid to IBEC from 2011 to 2014 by the two agencies under the remit of this Department, which are members of IBEC.
|
Agency |
Amount Paid to IBEC 2011 |
Amount Paid to IBEC 2012 |
Amount Paid to IBEC 2013 |
Amount Paid to IBEC 2014 |
|
Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQ1) |
Nil |
Nil |
€3,094.20 |
€3,094.20 |
|
Skillnets |
Nil |
€4,284.57* |
Nil |
€2,156.60 |
* Membership fees for 2012 and 2013 were paid in 2012
520. Deputy Noel Grealish asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if persons are liable for the non-principal private residence charge in the case where they purchased a second property just over 2 km away from their family homes; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [37941/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non Principal Private Residence (NPPR) Charge. The NPPR Charge of €200 per annum, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence.
It is a matter for an owner to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the charge. A number of exemptions from the charge are set out in section 4 of the 2009 Act and section 4(6) provides for an exemption from the charge in a situation where a residential property is occupied rent-free as the sole or main residence of a relative of the owner and the sole or main residence of the owner is either on the same property or within two kilometres of it.
Furthermore, the definition of “owner” in relation to a residential property under the Act refers to a person (other than a mortgagee not in possession) entitled to receive the rent of the property. There may, however, be situations involving an exclusive right of residence in respect of a relative residing in such a property. In such cases the owner would not be in a position to receive rent and therefore the owner in question would not be liable.
In any event, under the Act, it is a function of a local authority to collect NPPR charges and late payment fees due to it, and all charges and late payment fees imposed and payable to a local authority are under the care and management of the local authority concerned. In this regard, application of the legislation in particular circumstances is a matter for the relevant local authority.
All persons who are unsure as to whether they have a liability or not should contact their local authority as a matter of urgency.
521. Deputy Brendan Griffin asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will reduce road tax on HGVs to allow Irish hauliers to compete with competitors; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38056/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraChanges to motor tax rates are generally considered in the context of the national budgetary process and it, therefore, would not be appropriate to comment further on the matter at this time.
522. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the procedure for persons who through a force majeure situation are unable to renew their off road declaration within the requested renewal date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38147/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Non-Use of Motor Vehicles Act 2013 came into effect on 1 July 2013. The primary purpose of the Act is to replace the system whereby a vehicle was declared off the road retrospectively with a system under which the vehicle must be declared off the road in advance. The provision for retrospective declarations had become a means of evasion of motor tax.
The new arrangements have been fully in force since 1 October 2013. These only allow for a future declaration which must be made in the month before tax falls due, i.e. the declaration must be made prospectively. The declaration of non-use can be made at any time during that month, either via the local motor tax office or online, and is free of charge. Exemptions in particular cases are not provided for.
523. Deputy Michael McCarthy asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his views on the need for a lollipop person to be in place for a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38253/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service was introduced in March 2009 in response to the financial crisis. My Department operates a delegated sanction from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform for implementation of the moratorium in relation to local authorities, and any exceptions to the moratorium in local authorities require sanction from my Department.
Under section 159 of the Local Government Act 2001, each Chief Executive is responsible for staffing and organisational arrangements necessary for carrying out the functions of the local authorities for which he or she is responsible. In this regard, it is a matter for Chief Executives, in the first instance, to ensure that the moratorium is implemented while the appropriate service levels are maintained.
My Department examines all staffing sanction requests on a case by case basis having due regard to the continued delivery of key services in the context of staffing and budgetary constraints. In considering sanction requests, public safety, maintaining key front line services, and economic issues are given precedence.
My Department has not received a staff sanction request from Louth County Council for a school warden position for Collon NS, Drogheda.
524. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the position regarding the non-principal private residence tax penalties and charges; the options open to property owners who cannot afford to meet the charge; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38297/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Local Government (Charges) Act 2009, as amended, provides the legislative basis for the Non-Principal Private Residence Charge. The NPPR Charge, which has since been discontinued, applied in the years 2009 to 2013 to any residential property in which the owner did not reside as their normal place of residence. The self-assessed Charge is set at €200 per annum and liability for it falls, in the main, on owners of rental, holiday and vacant properties. Section 6 of the 2009 Act, as amended, provides that the owner of a liable property who fails to pay the charge, in addition to him or her being liable to pay the Charge, is liable to pay to the relevant local authority a €20 late payment fee in respect of each month or part of a month in which the Charge, any late payment fee, or any part of such Charge or fee, remains unpaid.
Part 12 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 also deals with the collection of undischarged liabilities relating to the NPPR Charge. The Act provided for a period from 2 March 2014 to 31 August 2014 during which time no new late penalties were applied to existing liabilities. If payment was not made in full or if settlement terms were not agreed by the end of that period, an additional late payment fee of €120 per liability date applied on 1 September 2014. As the Charge applied in each of the years from 2009 to 2013, there were five liability dates – 31 July 2009 and 31 March for each of the years 2010 to 2013. In addition to this late payment fee to be applied per liability date, the entire NPPR liability is then increased by a factor of 50% and frozen.
A residential property not in use by an owner as his or her sole or main residence is liable for the Charge. This may not necessarily be a second home; a person may have vacated a property and be living in rented accommodation elsewhere for work or other reasons, for example, and, in such a case, the property that the owner is no longer living in is liable for the Charge, even if it is the only residential property that person owns. It is a matter for an owner, whether resident in Ireland or elsewhere, to determine if he or she has a liability and, if so, to declare that liability and pay the Charge and any late payment fees applicable.
Under section 77 of the Local Government Reform Act 2014 my Department issued guidance to local authorities concerning matters relating to arrears of the NPPR Charge and late payment fees to ensure that a consistent national approach is adopted. The guidelines, which are available at http://www.environ.ie/en/Publications/LocalGovernment/Administration/FileDownLoad,37899,en.pdf, encourage local authorities to take a proactive approach to ensure that any outstanding NPPR liabilities are discharged in the most equitable, efficient and economically beneficial manner and include guidance in respect of dealing with hardship cases. It is expected, in the majority of cases, that local authorities will collect the full NPPR Charge liability from owners. In some cases, this may be by means of arrangement by instalment. The Act places the Charge under the care and management of the local authorities and application in particular circumstances is a matter for the relevant local authority. All non-compliant owners or owners with queries should log on to www.nppr.ie or, alternatively, contact their local authority to discuss any matters they wish to clarify and to make any outstanding payments.
525. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the new tenant purchase scheme which was announced will become operational; the terms and conditions thereof; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38520/14]
Amharc ar fhreagra560. Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government when the incremental purchase scheme for existing local authority dwellings will be operational; the discounts that will be involved for tenants; the way this will relate to a household income; the way the discounted related charge on the property will dwindle away over a period; when the regulations outlining the new scheme will be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [38144/14]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 525 and 560 together.
I intend in the coming months to make the commencement order and regulations that will enable the new tenant purchase scheme for existing local authority houses along incremental purchase lines to come into operation under Part 3 of the Housing (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2014. I have not finalised the detailed terms of the new Scheme and will do so in the context of making the required regulations.
As with the existing incremental purchase sales schemes for local authority apartments and newly built local authority houses, Part 3 of the 2014 Act provides that, where the tenant purchaser complies with the conditions of the sale of the house, the incremental purchase charge on the property will reduce annually by the equivalent of 2% of the value of the property, thus eliminating the entire charge by the end of the charge period. Where the tenant purchaser, with the consent of the housing authority, resells the dwelling within the charge period, he or she must pay to the council the value on the date of resale of the remaining incremental purchase charge on the property.
