Written Answers Nos. 456 - 477
456. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that students over 23 years of age who are classed as mature students are assessed on their personal income, and not that of their parents; and if she will introduce formal guidelines on same for Student Universal Support Ireland. [26898/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the student grant scheme is to provide additional assistance where parental income is below a certain threshold or in the case of independent mature students, where the level of income of the student and his or her spouse warrants additional assistance by way of a grant.
Classification as an independent mature student has to be carefully considered with regard to two fundamental criteria. Firstly, the applicant must be a "mature" student, i.e. he/she must be aged 23 or over on 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course. Secondly, because the majority of third level students move away from home to go to college and continue to be supported by their parents, grant applicants claiming mature independent status must demonstrate that, in addition to meeting the requirement as a "mature student", they have been genuinely self-supporting and living independently for a period of time before commencing their studies.
In practice, what this means is that an applicant entering college as a genuine mature student may, if also demonstrably self-supporting and living independently, be assessed for grant support on the basis of his/her own means and that of any spouse or partner, but independent of parental means.
Setting out guidelines as to how students can demonstrate living independent will by their very nature, restrict the assessment of independent cases to those that fall within these guidelines. Such restrictions may not be in the best interest of students.
457. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of fully reinstating the postgraduate maintenance grant. [26899/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra458. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will ensure that postgraduate fee contributions match undergraduate fee contributions. [26900/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 457 and 458 together.
Due to economic circumstances, a number of difficult expenditure reduction measures were taken in recent budgets. A decision in Budget 2012 has meant that new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme, but may qualify in some circumstances for limited fee support.
Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their post-graduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270.
Alternatively, a postgraduate student may qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the cost of their fees. The income threshold for this payment is €31,500 for the 2015/16 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependents.
Tax relief is available on postgraduate tuition fees. Details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
If the Budget 2012 decision was reversed and the income thresholds increased to bring them into line with those for undergraduate students, then the potential cost is estimated to be in the region of €47m. This costing assumes that the number of post-graduate grant holders will increase to the level prior to the introduction of this Budget measure.
As the Deputy will be aware, all proposals made in relation to education expenditure, including changes to postgraduate student grants, will be considered in the context of the Budget 2016.
459. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will review the rules around transitional courses at third level for the purposes of supports under the Student Universal Support Ireland scheme, given the lack of recognition that add-on courses with high progression rates currently have. [26901/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe objective of the student grant scheme is to help as many students as possible to obtain one qualification at each level of study.
To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course.
Course articulation or credit transfer arrangements can lead to admission in some cases directly onto the second or subsequent year of a higher level course, reducing the overall time required to achieve a qualification. The Student Support Regulations has provision for add-on courses e.g. a student having completed a level 7 on the NQF may have the option of doing an additional year to obtain a level 8 degree.
460. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students who received a grant in a repeat year of studies during the years 2013-14 and 2014-15; and the guidelines used to decide on their qualifications. [26902/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraUnder the Student Support Act 2011, applications for student grants are assessed with regard to the Student Grant Scheme and Student Support Regulations of the relevant year.
In order to be approved for student grant funding, the eligibility criteria set out in this legislation must be satisfied and this includes that a student meets the criteria in relation to progression within their studies Article 15 (5).
A grant may not be paid in respect of a student doing a repeat period of study on the same or a different course, or where their chosen course of study is not demonstrating that the student is progressing in their studies Article 15 (6) & (7).
However, the Student Grant Scheme provides that SUSI has discretion to award and pay a grant in exceptional circumstances where a student is doing a repeat period of study or not meeting the progression criteria Article 15 (8).
In such an instance, the discretion is applied in line with guidelines drawn up by the Minister for Education and Skills which are published each year and are available on SUSI's website (www.susi.ie).
The guidelines address that exceptional circumstances may arise which impact on a student completing a particular period of study or undertaking exams and that each application for repeat funding must be treated on a case by case basis.
While data for 2013/14 is not available, in 2014/15 there were 186 students awarded grants where exceptional circumstances applied and who would otherwise have not been eligible under the progression criteria.
461. Deputy Tom Fleming asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update regarding the very merited appeal, due to exceptional circumstances, and the importance of the retention of two teachers in respect of a school (details supplied) which caters for children with mild and moderate autism in the Tralee, Killarney and greater mid-County Kerry area, as the projected enrolment for future years is increasing and it is a marginal situation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26928/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board.
The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal to the March 2015 meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Having considered the application in the context of the published grounds, the Board deemed the application ineligible. The school was notified accordingly. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
462. Deputy Seán Kyne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the accountability of boards of management in respect of spending locally raised funds and in respect of capitation grants provided by her Department; if schools have to provide audited accounts; the safeguards in place to ensure moneys are spent appropriately; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [26929/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn accordance with Section 18 of the Education Act 1998, schools (other than those established or maintained by an Education and Training Board) are required to keep all proper and usual accounts and records of all monies received by it or expenditure of such monies incurred by it and must ensure that in each year all such accounts are properly audited or certified in accordance with best accounting practice. The Act further requires that such accounts shall be made available by the school for inspection by the Minister and by parents of students in the school, in so far as those accounts relate to monies provided by the Oireachtas. Furthermore, the Board must satisfy itself that proper internal controls are in place for all financial transactions. While these provisions concern monies provided by the Oireachtas, schools are not precluded from their school accounts providing details of other income and expenditure relating to locally raised funds and in my view it would be good practice for all schools to do so.
In respect of primary schools, a total account of the Board's income and expenditure shall be prepared at the end of each school year and shall be properly audited or certified in accord with best accounting practice. This account shall be made available for inspection to the school community including parents, the Patron, Trustees and the Minister. In addition, copies of this account shall be presented to the Board and a copy retained as part of the minutes of the Board of Management. The school accounts shall also be available for audit by officers of the Department and officials of the Comptroller and Auditor General's Office if requested.
In the case of Voluntary Secondary Schools the school must submit annual accounts in respect of each financial year ending 31 August. The annual accounts must be formally approved by the Management Authority of the school and must be forwarded to the Financial Services Support Unit (FSSU) of the Joint Managerial Body (JMB) by 1 December following the end of the financial year. The accounts must be accompanied by such other information as the FSSU may require from time to time. This requirement applies to all voluntary secondary schools, including fee charging schools.
In the case of Community and Comprehensive schools the Board of Management must prepare a financial report in respect of each financial year ending on 31 December. This report, formally approved by the Board must be forwarded to the Department by mid-February following the end of the financial year. The completed accounts must be accompanied by such other information as the Minister may require from time to time.
The accounts of schools established and maintained by an Education and Training Board (formerly known as Vocational Education Committees) form part of the accounts of the relevant ETB. In respect of ETBs, annual accounts must be submitted no later than the 1st April in the year following the end of the accounting period to which they relate, to the Office of the Comptroller and Auditor General for audit.
463. Deputy Robert Dowds asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is a sufficient number of special needs assistants to meet demand at primary level in the forthcoming academic year; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27010/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra11,330 SNA posts, an increase of 365 posts, or over 3%, are available to the NCSE to allocate to the end of 2015.
All schools were asked to apply to NCSE for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.
On conclusion of this process, the NCSE evaluated the level of SNAs required to meet the needs of schools for the coming year and advised the Department on the quantum of SNAs that would need to be provided to meet this need.
The final advice on this was received on 18th June and my Department is currently working to finalise its consideration of this as quickly as possible.
Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16 will be available on the NCSE website on completion of this process.
464. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants who are allocated to part-time posts in each school in County Louth for the upcoming school year. [27020/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra465. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special needs assistants who are allocated to full-time posts in each school in County Louth for the upcoming school year. [27021/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra466. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of full-time and part-time special needs assistant posts allocated to schools in County Louth in each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27022/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra467. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown in tabular form of funding allocated for the provision of special needs assistants in County Louth in 2015-16; and the total spent per year from 2010. [27023/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra468. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average amount spent per pupil on special needs assistants in County Louth; and how this compares with the allocation per pupil across the State. [27024/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 464 to 468, inclusive, together.
The National Council for Special Education(NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support and these criteria are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.
On conclusion of this process, the NCSE evaluated the level of SNAs required to meet the needs of schools for the coming year and advised the Department on the quantum of SNAs that would need to be provided to meet this need.
This information was received by the Department on 15th June and my Department is currently working to finalise its consideration of this as quickly as possible.
Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16, including schools in Co Louth, will be available on the NCSE website on completion of this process.
Details of SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2012/2013, 2013/14 and 2014/15 school years are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie and can be viewed on a per county basis. I will arrange to have the Deputy's question referred to the NCSE for their direct reply in respect of information sought prior to 2012/13.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that information sought in relation to funding spent on average per pupil is not available in the format requested. It is important to note that SNA allocations are made on the basis of pupil need rather than by reference to geographical location of schools. Once allocated, it is a matter for schools to deploy the SNA resource in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. This allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised. I can advise the Deputy however that the average salary cost of employing an SNA is €33,000 per annum.
469. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average amount spent per pupil on special needs assistants in County Meath; and how this compares with the allocation per pupil across the State. [27025/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra470. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding allocated for the provision of special needs assistants in County Meath in 2015-16; and the total spent in each year from 2010. [27026/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra471. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of part-time and full-time special needs assistant posts allocated to schools in County Meath in each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [27027/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra472. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of part-time special needs assistant posts allocated to each school in County Meath for the upcoming school year. [27028/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra473. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of full-time special needs assistant posts allocated to each school in County Meath for the upcoming school year. [27029/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 469 to 473, inclusive, together.
The National Council for Special Education(NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating SNA support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.
The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support and these criteria are set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014.
All schools were asked to apply for SNA support for the 2015/16 school year by 18th March 2015. The NCSE also continued to accept applications after this date in recognition that enrolments may not have been completed or where assessments were not completed.
On conclusion of this process, the NCSE evaluated the level of SNAs required to meet the needs of schools for the coming year and advised the Department on the quantum of SNAs that would need to be provided to meet this need.
This information was received by the Department on 15th June and my Department is currently working to finalise its consideration of this as quickly as possible.
Details of SNA allocations to schools for 2015/16, including schools in Co Meath, will be available on the NCSE website on completion of this process.
Details of SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2012/2013, 2013/14 and 2014/15 school years are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie and can be viewed on a per county basis. I will arrange to have the Deputy's question referred to the NCSE for their direct reply in respect of information sought prior to 2012/13.
Finally, I can advise the Deputy that information sought in relation to funding is not available in the format requested. It is important to note that SNA allocations are made on the basis of pupil need rather than by reference to geographical location of schools. Once allocated, it is a matter for schools to deploy the SNA resource in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. This allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
I can advise the Deputy however that the average salary cost of employing an SNA is €33,000 per annum.
474. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide a breakdown in tabular form of the number of hours of special needs assistance allocated to schools in counties Louth and Meath from 2010. [27030/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra475. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average resource hours allocated per child, following assessment, to each school in County Louth from 2010. [27031/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra476. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills the average resource hours allocated per child, following assessment, to each school in County Meath from 2010. [27032/15]
Amharc ar fhreagra477. Deputy Gerry Adams asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will outline in tabular form the number of pupils who required a special needs assistant following assessment, by county from 2010. [27033/15]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 474 to 477, inclusive, together.
Details of Resource teaching and SNA allocations which have been made to schools by the NCSE for the 2012/2013, 2013/14 and 2014/15 school years are available on the NCSE website www.ncse.ie and can be viewed on a per county basis. I will arrange to have the Deputy's question referred to the NCSE for their direct reply in respect of information sought prior to 2012/13.
It is important to note that resource teaching hours and SNA allocations are made on the basis of pupil need rather than by reference to geographical location of schools.
Once allocated, it is a matter for schools to deploy the SNA resource in a manner which best meets the care support requirements of the children enrolled in the school for whom SNA support has been allocated. This allows schools flexibility in how the SNA support is utilised.
