Written Answers Nos. 112-120
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Written Answers Nos. 112-120
112. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allocate capital funding to a college (details supplied) to enable a new, fit-for-purpose library to be built in view of the growing student population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28814/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are many competing demands on the limited capital budget for higher education.
The Department of Education and Skills is aware of the proposed new library referred to by the Deputy and it will be considered within the context of competing demands. I am not in a position to commit to a funding allocation at this point.
113. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills to review the financial thresholds enforced by legislation governing the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, scheme; if he will discuss the amendment of these with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, in advance of budget 2017; to consider net income as opposed to gross income under household reckonable income eligibility criteria in advance of budget 2017; to exclude total earnings of any applicant classed as dependent from household reckonable income under current eligibility criteria in advance of budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28830/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraStudent grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The means test arrangements of the Student Grant Scheme are applied nationally. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households.
The Student Grant Scheme provides for higher income thresholds for larger families. In addition to this, further increases in the income thresholds are provided for where additional family members are attending further and higher education at the same time.
The scheme currently allows students to disregard some holiday earnings from the assessment of reckonable income. In the 2016 scheme, I increased this amount from €3,809 to €4,500.
The Deputy will appreciate that there are a large number of competing demands for available funding. Decisions with regard to Budget 2017 will be announced on Budget day.
114. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills to support the creation of a national hospitality and training agency to provide new apprenticeships and training to ensure the development of the hospitality industry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28836/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are no plans to establish a dedicated training organisation for the Hospitality Sector, but rather to deliver the required education and training through the mainstream higher and further education and training sectors, in line with provision for all other sectors. The Government's basic position is not to establish new agencies to deal with new policy challenges, as was done at times in the past, but to deal with those challenges through existing structures.
Last year, the Expert Group on Future Skills Needs carried out a study on the future skills needs of the sector. The objective was to assess demand arising within the sector in Ireland including hotels, restaurants, bars, canteens and catering over the period to 2020. The aim was to ensure that there will be the right supply of skills to help drive domestic hospitality sector business and employment growth. The report of the study was published in November 2015.
The report provides a clear and coherent framework for the development of talent in the Hospitality sector in the years ahead to help drive both hospitality business and employment growth which is one of the key goals of the Government’s Tourism Policy Statement – People, Place and Policy-Growing Tourism to 2025. A key recommendation in the report was the need to set up a National Oversight and Advisory Group comprising all the key hospitality stakeholders.
Established earlier this year, the Hospitality Skills Oversight Group is being chaired for the first year by SOLAS. Membership of the Group includes the Restaurants Association of Ireland, Irish Hotel Federation, Irish Hospitality Institute, Licensed Vintners Association, Vintners Federation of Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Department of Education and Skills, Department of Social Protection, Higher Education Authority, Skillnets, SOLAS, ETBs, IoTs, DIT and Quality and Qualifications Ireland. The role of the Group is to monitor progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the EGFSN and to provide a forum for on-going collaboration in addressing the skills needs of the sector and to identify and progress actions to overcome barriers on its implementation.
The Group has met several times since it was established and a number of key actions are being progressed including an audit of courses and culinary facilities within both the Further and Higher education sectors with a view to obtaining a complete overview of existing courses and facilities, with a view to identifying gaps in provision and encouraging collaboration and sharing of facilities where possible.
Since the EGFSN study has been carried out, new developments in providing for the skill needs of the sector have included:
- Approximately 220 free hospitality-related higher education places under the 2016 Springboard+ programme.
- A proposal to develop a new Commis Chef Apprenticeship is at an advanced stage and is due to commence in the coming months, with training courses taking place in Education and Training Boards (ETBs) along with a work placement component.
- A proposal to develop a Chef de Partie Apprenticeship has been approved for development funding by the Apprenticeship Council at its last meeting in September.
- New Career Traineeships in Hospitality are being rolled out by a number of ETBs on a pilot basis with over 100 participants engaging so far. These are shorter courses, typically of up to 12 months' duration.
In addition, Skillnets Limited is scoping opportunities to establish a dedicated network to serve the needs of the sector and has held a series of meetings with representatives of the industry.
The skill needs of the hospitality sector will also be addressed through the new skills architecture established under the Government’s National Skills Strategy 2025, which includes the 9 Regional Skills Fora.
115. Deputy Brendan Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposals he has to reduce the distance criteria in respect of qualification for the non-adjacent maintenance grant for higher education; if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the reduced distance qualification has impacted most severely on lower income families; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28857/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures, which came into effect for the 2011/12 academic year, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres.
The 24km distance criterion was originally set in 1968 and had not been updated in more than 40 years. Since then, significant improvements have taken place in the road and rail network and it is considered that the revised distance criteria is more consistent with the type of distances that students may legitimately be expected to commute to college.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board.
116. Deputy Fiona O'Loughlin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position on the case of a person (details supplied) currently in third level education; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28864/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage the assistance of their public representatives in making inquiries about their grant applications.
This service complements the established channels provided by SUSI which include online application tracking, a dedicated website, a telephone helpdesk, email and social media, including Facebook and Twitter.
Enquiries may be emailed direct to SUSI at oireachtas@susi.ie. Staff in SUSI are responding to email queries within a matter of days.
If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant or that the rate of grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to SUSI.
Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted correctly in his/her case, an appeal form outlining the position may be submitted by the applicant to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board within the required timeframe.
117. Deputy Billy Kelleher asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will allocate a special needs assistant to a person (details supplied). [28870/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which is an independent statutory agency, is responsible, through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.
Responsibility for deciding on the quantum of educational supports and resources to be allocated to schools to support individual pupils rests with the NCSE.
The NCSE has advised that the child to which the Deputy refers has access to SNA support since 2015.
It should be noted that SNA allocations are not made to individual children, but are made to schools to support the care needs of children with assessed special educational needs in the school.
Where a school wishes to appeal the SNA support allocation which has been made to them, they may do so through the NCSE appeal process, details of which are set out at www.ncse.ie.
The option to invoke the NCSE appeals process is open to the school in question.
All schools have the contact details of their local SENO. Contact details are also available on the NCSE website. The local SENO is also available to discuss any concerns that parents have about the present or future educational needs of their child.
118. Deputy Willie Penrose asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider further improvements in the pupil-teacher ratio to help reduce class size towards the EU average in budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28872/16]
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 schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.
Budget 2016 made provision for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools in the current school year. These posts provided for an improvement in the staffing schedules at primary and post primary levels, enhanced the leadership and management roles of deputy principals at post-primary level by reducing their teaching time, improved the scheme of release time for principal teachers at primary level and provided additional resource posts to meet special education needs.
At primary level a one point improvement to the primary staffing schedule has been implemented for the 2016/17 school year. The primary staffing schedule currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 27 pupils. Lower thresholds apply for DEIS Band 1 schools.
At post primary level, the 2016 budget provided an improvement of 0.3 in PTR allocation from September 2016 for the purpose of enhancing guidance provision. It brings the basis of allocation from 18.25:1 to 17.25:1 in DEIS schools and from 19:1 to 18.7:1 in other schools for the 2016/17 school year.
The commitments in the Programme for Government, including the pupil-teacher ratio, will be considered in the context of the budgetary process.
119. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 468 of 16 September 206 if he will pay a teacher (details supplied) due to the fact that this teacher was subsequently registered by the Teaching Council and taking account the fact that section 30 of the Teaching Council Act is silent on the issue of whether a teacher can be paid retrospectively for work if they subsequently become registered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [28888/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraTeachers are employed by the managerial authority of each individual school. The terms and conditions of their employment are set out in my Department Circulars.
Circulars 25/2013 and 52/2013 set out the procedures on commencement of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 in recognised schools requiring all teachers to be registered with the Teaching Council, except in the most urgent and exceptional cases. Section 30 prohibits payment by the State of people employed as teachers in recognised schools unless they are registered with the Teaching Council.
Circular 31/2011 on Teacher Recruitment, Registration and Qualifications sets out the procedures regarding the employment of qualified registered teachers in approved teaching posts.
Paragraph 3.4 of Circular 0031/2011 states as follows:
"Where an employer can satisfactorily demonstrate that every reasonable effort has been made to recruit an appropriately qualified registered teacher, a teacher registered under any regulation of the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009 may be appointed pending the recruitment of an appropriately qualified registered teacher. The contract of employment must include a condition that the contract will terminate on the recruitment of an appropriately qualified registered teacher or the following 31 August, whichever happens first. Remuneration will be at the unqualified rate of pay."
Paragraph 6.3 of Circular 0031/2011 states:
"An unregistered person employed in accordance with paragraph 6.1–
(a) will be paid at the unqualified rate of pay;
(b) may not be paid in respect of more than one week’s continuous employment at any one time; and
(c) must have included in his or her contract of employment a condition that the contract will terminate immediately if the employer is in a position to employ a registered teacher."
The teacher referred to by the Deputy was registered with the Teaching Council from 4 May 2016 for the Further Education sector. She obtained conditional registration for the post primary sector from the 12th July 2016.
In accordance with the terms of circulars 25/2013, 52/2013 and 0031/2011, the teacher was employed prior to 04/05/2016 in an unregistered and unqualified capacity for short periods on an exceptional basis. She was correctly remunerated at the unqualified rate of pay.
She was employed from the 04/05/2016 to the end of the school term as registered for the Further Education Sector but not registered with the qualifications appropriate to the post primary sector. She was correctly remunerated at the unqualified rate.
The teacher will be paid at the qualified rate for all contracts of employment as a post primary teacher with effect from the 12 July 2016 for the period of her conditional registration.
If she obtains full registration for the post primary sector she will continue to be paid at the qualified rate.
There are no arrears of salary due to the teacher.
120. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide the required funds for a project (details supplied). [28899/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school referred to by the Deputy was approved funding to build 2 mainstream classrooms and 2 resource rooms under my Department’s Additional Accommodation Scheme 2013.
The school authority has submitted a request for additional funding. Further information has been sought from the school authority and when this information is received and considered the school authority will be informed of my Department's decision.
