Written Answers Nos. 240-250
240. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on when the inspections of the possible site for a new Crana College campus took place; when her Department expects to receive the relevant evaluation reports; when her Department will be in a position to purchase the site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24359/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that a joint technical inspection of a number of potential site options for a proposed campus development in Buncrana has been conducted by officials from my Department and officials from Donegal County Council.A technical report is currently being compiled by the professional and technical staff from my Department. When the technical report has been completed, the recommendations will be considered by my officials with a view to advancing the site acquisition process. It is not possible to give a definitive timeframe for the completion of the acquisition at this time. However assuming no issues arise, once the site has been acquired the project will be advanced to the architectural planning stage.
241. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a matter (details supplied) regarding secondments; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24460/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra242. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to amend the directive issued from her Department that all secondees, regardless of their training or specialism, return to their base schools after five years, as this will result in the reduction of reading recovering teacher leaders from nine to seven, in view of the fact that nine reading recovery teacher leaders could train all the schools which have requested support and training in reading recovery; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24461/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions 241 and 242 together.
My Department, through the teacher support services and education centres, engages teachers on a full time basis annually for the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) through secondment from their schools. Secondments are always subject to annual review and renewal. The arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the in-service needs of teachers and other support priorities of the school system can be met within the resources available. Having teachers with relevant and recent teaching experience and expertise is a key requirement for the role. It is a condition therefore that the maximum length of time that a teacher may be on secondment is five years, following which they return to their teaching roles within their schools. In this way, their expertise and knowledge is not lost to the system. These teacher secondment arrangements were disseminated extensively in 2012 and subsequently so the necessary planning could take place at all levels including education centres, support services, school boards of management and individual teacher. The implementation of this policy is a matter for the services concerned and the relevant section of my Department.Overall, secondment numbers available are limited and HR planning to meet business needs in terms of supporting national priorities is essential. The support services, including the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST), have engaged in succession planning as a key strategy in ensuring continued support for teachers and school leaders in implementing national education policy priorities and CPD and which allows for continuity, quality planning and management. Reading Recovery is a literacy programme offered to DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 schools only as part of Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion, which was launched in May 2005. Schools in these areas were invited to have teachers trained in the programme. In some areas, where training took place in local cluster groups, additional schools were facilitated in participating in the programme. My Department has prioritised support for the programme and has spent over €4m on it over the last 5 years. Current plans provide that support will continue for over 500 schools involved in the programme and I am satisfied that PDST has made appropriate provision in its ongoing programme of work. My Department is anxious that we continue to target schools with the greatest need with most supports particularly in a climate of constrained budgets.
243. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the Health Service Executive will supply bathroom adaptations for persons with a disability living in council-owned accommodation. [24337/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra244. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the Health Service Executive Cherry Orchard facility, Dublin 10, will supply bathroom adaptations for persons with disabilities living in council-owned accommodation; his views on best practice in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24338/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra245. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if the Health Service Executive will install a walk-in-shower in respect of a person (details supplied) in Dublin 22. [24339/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 243 to 245, inclusive, together.
My Department provides funding to local authorities for various social housing supports, including for adaptations and extensions to the social housing stock to meet needs of local authority tenants with a disability or to address serious overcrowding. Funding provided by my Department meets 90% of the cost of such works, with each local authority providing the remaining 10%. The administration of the grants is a matter for individual local authorities, in this case South Dublin County Council. My Department has no direct involvement with individual applications.
I recently announced funding of €11m for these measures in 2015 ; details of the allocations can be accessed on my Department’s website at the following link : http://www.environ.ie/en/GeneralNews/MainBody,41581,en.htm.
246. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he, or any of the agencies under his Department's remit, have undertaken a scientific assessment on the issue of the safety-for-consumption of food produced in the Dublin region, following the commencement of the operation of the Poolbeg incinerator; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24393/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra260. Deputy Lucinda Creighton asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he is satisfied that following the commencement of incineration at the Poolbeg incinerator in Dublin, it will continue to be safe for residents in the Dublin Bay South area to consume soft fruit and leafy vegetables grown in their gardens; the scientific basis for his conclusion; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24391/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 260 together.
The Dublin Waste to Energy Project has obtained all necessary statutory consents, including planning permission granted by An Bord Pleanála and a licence from the Environmental Protection Agency granted under the Industrial Emissions Directive. As part of the application processes, the development has been subject to a full Environmental Impact Assessment as required under the EIA Directive. The EIA process is designed to ensure that projects likely to have significant effects on the environment are subject to a comprehensive assessment of environmental effects prior to development consent being given.
An EIA must identify, describe and assess the effects of a proposed development on various factors, including, inter alia:
- human beings, fauna and flora;
- soil, water, air, climate and the landscape; and
- material assets and the cultural heritage.
The Directive further requires that EIA be carried out in an open and transparent manner with the public and bodies with specific environmental responsibility being given an opportunity to comment and participate in the process of assessment.
247. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the membership of the independent evaluation committee responsible for final selection of local development strategies for the Leader elements of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24293/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra248. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the criteria by which the independent evaluation committee will make the final selections for the local development strategy for the Leader elements of the Rural Development Programme 2014 to 2020; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24294/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra249. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way he will ensure openness, fairness and independence of the processes of the independent evaluation committee, in view of frequently stated government policy that the county council-led local community development committees be designated as the local action group which will deliver and manage the Leader programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24295/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra250. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will confirm that stage 2 of the application process has commenced and that the circulation of invitations for submission of local development strategy to applicants qualifying from the expression of interest stage has also commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24296/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra254. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government the way assigning Pobal to the role of making recommendations to the independent evaluation committee is consistent with ensuring integrity and transparency of an independent evaluation process, in view of the fact that Pobal manages programmes on behalf of the Government and the European Union (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24300/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 247 to 250, inclusive, and 254 together.
The LEADER element of the Rural Development Programme 2014–2020, will provide €250 million in financial resources to support the development of sustainable rural communities. Under stage one of the selection process for the new programme, any entity who wished to be considered as a Local Action Group was invited to submit an expression of interest. This included LCDCs, community groups and any other interested entity. For the purposes of the new programme, there are 28 sub-regional areas in Ireland and 45 separate expressions of interest were received. A single expression of interest has been received in 17 of the 28 areas and at least 2 expressions of interest have been received in the remaining 9 areas.
I expect that all the expressions of interest will be presented to an Independent Evaluation Committee for assessment and decision shortly. I am in the process of establishing this Committee. On foot of this, preparatory support will be made available to all eligible Local Action Groups selected by the Committee. The Groups will then be provided with a minimum of 6 months to develop their strategies but I do expect some strategies to be submitted much earlier than this.
The Independent Evaluation Committee will also assess and make the final decisions with regard to the quality of the local development strategies. In areas where a single strategy is submitted, the Committee in question will review and evaluate these strategies with a view to ensuring that the strategies meet the required standard. In areas where entities do not come to an agreement and multiple strategies are submitted, it will be a matter for the Evaluation Committee to a make a decision on which local development strategy best meets the needs of the community.
In relation to the Deputy’s specific query regarding stage two of the process, I envisage that this will commence in early July. All entities successful in stage one will be provided with a comprehensive template to assist in the process of developing their local development strategy. My Department are currently working with Pobal to finalise this template, which will include full details of the criteria and scoring framework. The system will be open and transparent and all information will be available to all entities successful in stage one of the selection process and will be published on my Department’s website once complete.
Technical support for the local development strategy process will be provided by Pobal and it is envisaged that Pobal will conduct the substantive evaluation of submissions and prepare detailed assessment reports for the consideration of the Evaluation Committee. Pobal have a significant track record with regard to the management and implementation of local and community development programmes for a number of Government Departments.
The Evaluation Committee will have the ultimate decision making role in the context of the awarding of contracts to support the delivery of the LEADER elements of the RDP 2014-2020 in any given sub-regional area. I am confident that Pobal’s support for the strategy selection process for LEADER 2014-2020 will provide the support necessary to the Evaluation Committee to allow them to facilitate the most effective robust strategies for all sub-regional areas. As Pobal do not have any direct input into the decision making I am confident that their role is transparent and will not in any way undermine the integrity of the local development strategy selection process.
