Written Answers Nos. 690-698
690. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide details of the new inclusion support service within the National Council for Special Education; the total number of staff who will be allocated to this service; the date on which she expects this new service to be up and running. [14042/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, I recently announced the establishment, within the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), of a new Inclusion Support Service to assist schools in supporting children with special educational needs.
The service will include the Special Education Support Service (SESS), the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) and the Visiting Teacher Service for children who are deaf/hard of hearing and for children who are blind/visually impaired (VTSVHI).This change will mean that schools will receive a better and more integrated service from this new Inclusion Support Service. The Inclusion Support Service will build on the existing good work and support which NBSS, SESS and VTSVHI provide to children and their families as well as to teachers and schools.
It is intended that the Inclusion Support Service will be operational from the coming school year. It is also intended, however, that the existing services will continue as normal as the new arrangements are put in place, with as little disruption as possible to service users, as progress is made to transfer these services to the NCSE.
Considerations with regard to the full staffing implications which may arise from the amalgamation of these bodies and the incorporation of the new Inclusion Support Service within the existing NCSE operational structures, are ongoing, and will be established during the course of the integration of the services.
691. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the rates of payment provided to Youthreach students during each of the past five years; and the total payments allocated to these students during each of those years. [14048/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe rate of training allowance payable to Youthreach students for the last five years is as follows:
|
Year |
Age |
Weekly Rate |
|
2014 |
18 years and over |
€160 |
|
16 and 17 years |
€40 |
|
|
2013 |
18 years and over |
€160 |
|
16 and 17 years |
€40 |
|
|
2012 |
18 years and over |
€188 |
|
16 and 17 years |
€40 |
|
|
2011 |
18 years and over |
€188 |
|
17 years |
€95.75 |
|
|
16 years |
€76.65 |
|
|
2010 |
18 years and over |
€196 |
|
17 years |
€99.80 |
|
|
16 years |
€79.90 |
A small number of students may also have received a long term unemployed bonus payment of €31.80 per week in 2010 and €20 per week in 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. The payment of a long term bonus payment ceased for all new entrants with effect from 1 January 2014. A meal allowance of €4 per week was payable to Youthreach students during each of these five years but in some centres this was retained by the ETB, with the agreement of the students, towards the cost of the provision of meals to students in the centres. Some students were also eligible to receive a travel allowance which was based on distance from the Youthreach Centre. The rates that applied for the past five years are as follows:
|
Distance in Miles |
Amount |
|
3-5 miles |
€6.60 |
|
5-10 miles |
€11.90 |
|
10-20 miles |
€17.60 |
|
20-30 miles |
€21,60 |
|
30-40 miles |
€27.70 |
|
40-50 miles |
€32.60 |
The total amount allocated for allowances to Youthreach students in the last five years is as follows:
|
Year |
Amount |
|
2014 |
€15.7 million |
|
2013 |
€18 million |
|
2012 |
€18.5 million |
|
2011 |
€19.5 million |
|
2010 |
€20.1 million |
692. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the rates of grant available for students participating in post-leaving certificate courses; and the reason students under 18 years of age cannot receive payments when attending a post-leaving certificate course. [14049/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe annual rates of maintenance grant, as provided for in the Student Grant Scheme 2014, which apply to Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) courses and undergraduate courses, are as follows:
|
Non-Adjacent Rates: |
Amount |
|
Special rate of maintenance |
€5,915; |
|
Standard rate—Full Maintenance (100%) |
€3,025; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (75%) |
€2,270; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (50%) |
€1,515; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (25%) |
€755. |
|
Adjacent Rates: |
Amount |
|
Special rate of maintenance |
€2,375; |
|
Standard rate—Full Maintenance (100%) |
€1,215; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (75%) |
€910; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (50%) |
€605; |
|
Standard rate—Part Maintenance (25%) |
€305. |
As there is no age restriction in the Student Grant Scheme 2014, students under 18 years of age are eligible to be considered for maintenance grants while attending a PLC course.
693. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills where the leaving certificate applied fits within the quality and qualifications Ireland framework. [14050/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Leaving Certificate is treated as a single award in the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ) maintained by Quality and Qualifications Ireland. The Leaving Certificate award spans levels 4 and 5 of the NFQ and incorporates the Leaving Certificate Applied (LCA), the Leaving Certificate Established and the Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme (LCVP).
694. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will re-examine a submission for roof replacement in respect of a school (details supplied) in County Kerry, in view of the fact that the only option in the circumstances is to replace or consolidate the timber structure of the roof to accommodate the reslating; if she will instruct the building section in her Department to have this investigated, in view of the fact that all details for this proposal have been provided, including vital amendments to the original inadequate proposal; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14055/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe management authority of the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to replace a slate roof at their school.
As a replacement roof is outside the terms of the scheme it cannot be considered for funding. The school authority has been advised to submit a scaled down application to address the immediate health & safety issues only and as soon as this application is received it will be assessed and the school authorities notified of the outcome.
695. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress made towards delivering high-speed broadband to all national schools; when all national schools will have access to high-speed broadband; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14059/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Schools Broadband Access Programme, my Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. A framework involving more providers was put in place in 2012 which ensures that improved solutions are available to schools. The Department is continually working with providers to ensure that where possible improved services are made available to schools.
In the context of the forthcoming Digital Strategy for Schools, improved connectivity for primary schools will be a priority. In this regard, my Department will collaborate with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to provide enhanced broadband services.
696. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Donegal only has access to broadband at a maximum speed of 1 MBps; the efforts her Department is making to provide high-speed broadband for the school; when the school will receive high-speed broadband; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14060/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Schools Broadband Access Programme, my Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. A framework involving more providers was put in place in 2012 which ensures that improved solutions are available to schools. The Department is continually working with providers to ensure that where possible improved services are made available to schools.
In the context of the forthcoming Digital Strategy for Schools, improved connectivity for primary schools will be a priority. In this regard, my Department will collaborate with the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources to provide enhanced broadband services.
Naomh Bridhid's connection is due to be retendered under the framework with a view to offering the best service to the school.
697. Deputy Andrew Doyle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that the Educate Together primary schools in Wicklow and Greystones in County Wicklow, form part of the new catchment area for the new north Wicklow Educate Together secondary school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14081/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll new schools, either at primary level or post-primary level, are set up to meet specific demographic needs within defined geographical areas. As part of the patronage determination processes to establish who will operate new schools, prospective patrons must commit to enrolling, as a priority, pupils from the area for whom the school is intended. The Department would expect to see this in the enrolment policies for new schools. Consistent with the approach outlined, the school to which the Deputy refers was set up to meet a demographic need in the Bray, Kilternan and Ballybrack/Shankill school feeder areas. The other areas to which the Deputy refers are in different school feeder areas with their own post-primary provision.
698. Deputy Finian McGrath asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will support a matter (details supplied) regarding students with mild general learning disabilities; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [14148/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that all children who have been assessed as having a Mild General Learning Difficulty are entitled to receive additional teaching support in schools under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports at primary school level, or through a general allocation of High Incidence (HI) disability support at post primary school level. All schools have therefore been provided with resource teaching hours to allocate to pupils with Mild General Learning Difficulty. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recommended the introduction of a new resource allocation model for schools. I recently announced that I am not proposing to change the way teachers are allocated to schools for children with Special Educational Needs for the coming school year. In taking this decision, I have been guided by the advice of the NCSE Working Group report, which recommended sufficient time be allowed for consultation before the new model is implemented. Through consultations, there was a broad welcome for the proposed new model from Parents, disability groups, schools and stakeholders. However, there has not been sufficient time to address all of the concerns which have been raised in advance of the 2015 school year. In the context of the recent announcement that the proposed new model for allocating resource teachers to schools will not now be introduced from September 2015, I agreed to review the particular position in relation to educational provision for children with Down syndrome in mainstream schools. On 24th of March, I announced that the Government has agreed that additional resources will be allocated to schools, as an interim measure, to support those children with Down syndrome, who are not already supported through the National Council for Special Education's (NCSE) annual allocation process.
I advised that this measure was being introduced in recognition of the length of time it will take to introduce the new resource teacher model and the fact that children with Down syndrome experience a cluster of difficulties relating to this syndrome, in addition to general learning difficulties, including speech and language developmental delays. As my Department is continuing to develop the new allocation model for schools, and is currently working to devise a pilot of the new model, I do not propose to amend the existing allocation process further, pending the introduction of a new allocation model.
