Written Answers Nos 298-311
298. Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount that is being drawn from the European Social Fund (ESF) for SOLAS (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9838/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe European Social Fund co-financed Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning (PEIL) for the period 2014-2020, contains a total budget of €1.153 billion, comprising ESF and Exchequer contributions of €542.43m each and an EU Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) budget contribution of €68.145m. The PEIL includes proposed allocations for over 20 activities, including those under the YEI, being implemented across a range of bodies, with the following 5 activities being within the SOLAS/Education Training Board (ETB) remit. While SOLAS is the beneficiary body for Momentum it is the Intermediate Body for the other activities with the ETBs being the beneficiary bodies.
|
Activity |
ESF Allocation |
YEI Allocation |
Exchequer Allocation |
Total Allocation |
|
ETB Training for the Unemployed (Specific Skills Training; Bridging-courses and Traineeships) |
€122.85m |
N/A |
€122.85m |
€245.7m |
|
Momentum |
€17.78m |
€4.44m |
€17.78m |
€40.0m |
|
Youthreach |
€145.94m |
€26.63m |
€145.94m |
€318.51m |
|
Back To Education Initiative |
€50.47m |
N/A |
€50.47m |
€100.94m |
|
Adult Literacy |
€45.78m |
N/A |
€45.78m |
€91.56m |
The ESF Managing Authority and the Operational Programme Monitoring Committee (PMC) maintain an ongoing overview of the funding allocations under the PEIL and will reallocate the available funding as required, in accordance with the EU Regulatory provisions, over the lifetime of the PEIL. In this regard, the PMC has agreed in principle to the inclusion of the Community Training Centres, which are funded by the ETBs in consultation with SOLAS, as an approved activity under the YEI with effect from 1 January 2017.
While no claim for funding has been made to date, it is expected that the funding allocated will be fully drawn down during the programming period. Furthermore, as the activities concerned are fully funded up-front by the Exchequer there is no resulting reduction or delay in the funding available to those activities. The ESF co-financing that is subsequently claimed is credited to the Vote of the relevant Department or the National Training Fund (NTF) which funded the activity.
Under the ESF Regulations, initial and annual pre-financing is provided by the Commission, resulting in receipts of €51.8m to date. €20.4m of these receipts have been distributed, of which €14.6m is in respect of activities coming within the SOLAS/ETB remit, with €5.6m being credited to the NTF and €9m to the Education Vote. The remaining €31.4m has or will be reimbursed to the Commission in the absence of a claim being made. Work on the designation of the relevant ESF authorities, including the provision of a national computerised accounting and information system for EU funds to meet the 2014-2020 functionality requirements is continuing. I understand that my Department expects that this designation work will be completed in the coming months and that it is proposed to commence the preparation of a first interim claim for payment from the Commission once the process of designation has concluded. This claim will be made within the EU Regulatory deadlines to ensure no loss of ESF receipts.
299. Deputy Peadar Tóibín asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the ETBs are delivering training to private sector companies in the commercial market; and if so, if the service they are providing is subsidised by the taxpayer. [9868/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSystematic data is not currently gathered by SOLAS on this provision. Since January an integrated database for the further education and training (FET) sector, the Programme and Learner Support Service (PLSS), has been implemented which will capture a broad range of data including data on learners, courses, course impact and learner follow up.
ETBs, in common with other publicly funded education and training providers, do deliver some services to employees of private sector companies. Information currently provided by ETBs via the annual service planning process indicates that this provision is limited in scope. Over recent years, with the exception of apprenticeship, training provision has been primarily focused on unemployed people, in particular those who are long-term unemployed. Currently, the only dedicated structured provision for employees within FET is the Skills for Work Programme. It is delivered on a part-time basis and targets employees with low literacy skills, low qualifications, and/or low participation in formal education. Approximately 2,700 persons participate in this programme each year. The budget allocation for 2016 for Skills for Work is €2.75m, provided from the National Training Fund. The duration of each programme is generally 35 hours.
Work is nearing completion on the development of a policy framework to guide activity undertaken by the FET sector to support employee development in Ireland in alignment with the National Skills Strategy 2025. When complete, the framework will set out how the ETBs will contribute to upskilling of people in employment, including addressing issues in relation to the appropriate approach to costs.
300. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in determination of application for capital funding in the case of a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9889/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the school in question has submitted an application to my Department for significant capital funding for additional school accommodation. The application will be considered in the context of the very significant challenges facing my Department in prioritising available capital funding for essential mainstream classrooms to meet the demand for extra school places and in cases where additional teachers have been appointed.
A decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.
301. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if, together with the patron of a school (details supplied), he is in a position to accede to requests of the parents and management board of the school by way of approval of a third stream for the school, having particular regard to the demographic changes in the area and the need to plan accordingly; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9890/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that officials from my Department met with representatives of the school referred to and it was agreed that a further meeting would be convened when the pupil data assessment process discussed at the meeting was completed.
This process was aimed at allowing adequate time for updated demographic data, taking into account overall current and projected pupil numbers in the area, and the enrolment position in the case of the school in question and other schools in the area; the various factors that contribute to the compilation and operation of any waiting lists; and the impact of expansion of school capacity in the case of this school on other schools in the area to be clarified and assessed. As part of this process, further information was supplied by the school to the Department. The information is currently being considered and officials from my Department have arranged to meet with the school patron this week on the matter.
302. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in determination of eligibility for financial assistance pursuant to an application for major capital works in the case of a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9891/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application for major capital works to my Department. Applications for major capital works are considered in the context of the very significant challenge facing my Department in prioritising available capital funding for essential mainstream classrooms to meet the demand for extra school places and where an additional teacher has been appointed. My Department will convey a decision on the application directly to the school authority as soon as the application process has been finalised.
303. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if further financial assistance is available in the case of a school (details supplied) to combat the impact of increased building costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9892/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school in question was approved funding in 2015 to build 2 classrooms with en suite toilets and to convert an existing 40m² room into a multi-purpose room.
The School subsequently submitted an application for a GP room which it said it was willing to part fund. The Department approved a grant as a contribution towards the cost of a GP room on that basis.
The Board of Management submitted documentation in December 2016 with a scope of works and projected cost plan well in excess of the original approval. Consequently, the school was advised to scale back the works to be consistent with its approval. The matter will be reviewed when the revised submission is received from the Board of Management.
304. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress to date in respect of the provision of a Gaelcholáiste to serve the area of County Kildare in 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9893/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraMaynooth Community College opened in 2014 with an Irish-medium Aonad and it was stated that should the Aonad demonstrate sufficient viability after four years from its date of establishment, a Gaelcholáiste would be established, in a partnership patronage model between Kildare and Wicklow ETB and An Foras Pátrúnachta.
The new schools which will open in 2017 and 2018 to cater for increased demographic demand nationwide were announced in November 2015.
As part of that announcement, and in view of the continued support for an independent Gaelcholáiste, it was confirmed that a Gaelcholáiste to serve the North Kildare area will open in 2019, subject to the continued viability of the Irish-medium Aonad at Maynooth Community College.
The Gaelcholáiste will operate under the patronage of Kildare and Wicklow Education and Training Board with An Foras Pátrúnachta.
In the interim, my Department will continue to work closely with the Education and Training Board and An Foras Pátrúnachta in relation to the provision of appropriate accommodation for the establishment of the Gaelcholáiste.
305. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will accede to a request for additional funding for required accommodation in the case of a school (details supplied), with particular reference to the increase in costs; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9894/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school to which the Deputy Refers was sanctioned a devolved grant under my Departments Additional Accommodation Scheme 2015 to provide 1 mainstream classroom, 1 WC for assisted users and 3 resource rooms.
Following a request for additional funding in September, 2016, my Department increased the grant allocation for the approved works in line with current building costs.
A further request for additional funding has been submitted to my Department. This request is being examined and my Department will revert to the School Authority directly once a decision has been made.
306. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in regard to the provision of the twin school project at Moyglare Road, Maynooth, County Kildare; when he expects the tenders to be approved and tested; the likely commencement date; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9895/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am pleased to be able to inform the Deputy that all aspects of the tendering process for the project to which he refers have been satisfactorily completed. The local Education and Training Board (ETB) is delivering the project and my Department gave approval to it on 27 February last to issue a Letter of Intent to award a contract to the preferred bidder. Assuming that the preferred bidder can comply with the requirements contained in that letter in relation to tax clearance, insurances, bond etc, my Department would expect the project to be on site in a few months’ time.
307. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number and location of schools that applied for DEIS status in County Kildare; the details of those approved; if consideration will be given to increasing this number based on the representations received from the various school authorities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9896/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraDEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy.
I wish to advise the Deputy that details of all schools included in the list published on 13 February can be found on my Department's website at the following link:
http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Plan-2017-New-DEIS-Schools-List.pdf
Schools were not required to make an application for inclusion in DEIS Plan 2017 as a uniform system has been applied to every school in the country, based on the development of a new identification process for the assessment of schools using centrally held CSO and DES data.
The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, social class composition and labour market situation. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. Further information on the development of the identification process is available in the DEIS Review report which can be found on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.
In its initial application, the new identification model has identified that there are schools in disadvantaged areas, not previously included in DEIS, whose level of disadvantage is significantly higher than many schools already in the programme. Accordingly, we are moving as a first step to include these schools within the DEIS School Support Programme.
Schools included in the list published by the Department on 13 February are those whose level of concentrated disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
Schools which have not been included at this stage, are those which have not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst their pupil cohort, under the new model, which is fair and objective.
The new DEIS Plan provides for a verification process and any school wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of its pupil cohort may submit an application for same to social_inclusion@education.gov.ie.
It is important to note that the school details published on 13 February represent a first step in the application of the assessment process to support pupils in schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. I am fully aware that there are further schools whose concentrated level of disadvantage may not be at the highest level, but may nevertheless be at a level which warrants additional supports for pupils under DEIS.
However, as noted in the DEIS Plan, the implementation of a new objective central data-based model of identifying levels of disadvantage within school populations will be followed by a further programme of work to create a more dynamic model where levels of resource more accurately follow the levels of need identified by that model.
Once this work has been completed, consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.
In delivering on the DEIS Plan 2017 we must be conscious that there are ongoing changes in demographics which may be more marked in some areas than others. Populations in some areas have changed considerably since schools were originally evaluated for inclusion in DEIS in 2006. The new model may reveal that some schools currently included in DEIS have a level of disadvantage within their school population much lower than that in some schools not included within DEIS. If this turns out to be the case, then we must consider whether it is fair that those schools continue receiving these additional resources, using resources that may be more fairly allocated to the schools with greater levels of disadvantage.
It is important to note that the fact that a school has not been included in the DEIS programme on this occasion does not preclude its inclusion at a later date, should its level of disadvantage warrant the allocation of additional resources.
308. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has received communication from the authorities at a school (details supplied) with regard to the need to have the school included in the DEIS programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9897/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that I have recently received representations on behalf of the school in question.
A reply will issue in the coming days.
DEIS is my Department's main policy initiative to tackle educational disadvantage. The DEIS Plan for 2017 sets out our vision for future intervention in the critical area of social inclusion in education policy.
A key element of DEIS Plan 2017 Plan is the availability of a new identification process for the assessment of schools for inclusion in DEIS using centrally held CSO and DES data.
The key data sources are the DES Primary Online Database (POD) and Post-Primary Online (PPOD) Databases, and CSO data from the National Census of Population as represented in the Pobal HP Index for Small Areas which is a method of measuring the relative affluence or disadvantage of a particular geographical area. Variables used in the compilation of the HP Index include those related to demographic growth, social class composition and labour market situation. This data is combined with pupil data, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools. Further information on the development of the identification process is available in the DEIS Review report which can be found on my Department's website at http://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/.
In its initial application, the new identification model has identified that there are schools in disadvantaged areas, not previously included in DEIS, whose level of disadvantage is significantly higher than many schools already in the programme. Accordingly, we are moving as a first step to include these schools within the DEIS School Support Programme.
Schools included in the list published by the Department on 13 February are those whose level of concentrated disadvantage has been identified as being at the same level as the current DEIS category for schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage.
Schools which have not been included at this stage, including the school referred to by the Deputy, are those which have not been identified as having the highest levels of concentrated disadvantage amongst their pupil cohort, under the new model, which is fair and objective.
The new DEIS Plan provides for a verification process and any school wishing to seek verification of the information used to assess the level of disadvantage of its pupil cohort may submit an application for same to social_inclusion@education.gov.ie.
It is important to note that the school details published on 13 February represent a first step in the application of the assessment process to support pupils in schools with the highest concentrations of disadvantage. I am fully aware that there are further schools whose concentrated level of disadvantage may not be at the highest level, but may nevertheless be at a level which warrants additional supports for pupils under DEIS.
However, as noted in the DEIS Plan, the implementation of a new objective, central data-based model of identifying levels of disadvantage within school populations will be followed by a further programme of work to create a more dynamic model, where levels of resource more accurately follow the levels of need identified by that model.
Once this work has been completed, consideration will be given to extending DEIS supports to a further group of schools as resources permit.
In delivering on the DEIS Plan 2017, we must be conscious that there are ongoing changes in demographics which may be more marked in some areas than others. Populations in some areas have changed considerably since schools were originally evaluated for inclusion in DEIS in 2006. The new model may reveal that some schools, currently included in DEIS, have a level of disadvantage within their school population much lower than that in some schools not included within DEIS. If this turns out to be the case, then we must consider whether it is fair that those schools continue receiving these additional resources, using resources that may be more fairly allocated to the schools with greater levels of disadvantage.
It is important to note that the fact that a school has not been included in the DEIS programme on this occasion does not preclude its inclusion at a later date, should its level of disadvantage warrant the allocation of additional resources.
309. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department has received requests from the authorities at a school (details supplied) for funding towards upgrading of the playground surface; if the necessary funding can be made available by one means or another in the current year; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9898/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of a Category 10 application, external environment project, under the Summer Works Scheme (2016-2017) from the school to which he refers.
Nearly 50% of schools have applied for inclusion under the scheme which reflects a very high demand. Details of successful school applicants in respect of Categories 1 and 2 were announced in April last and are published on my Department’s website www.education.ie. Assessment of valid projects in further categories is now being undertaken by my Department, subject to the overall availability of funding, in accordance with the terms and conditions of the scheme as outlined in Circular Letter (0055/2015), which may be accessed on my Department's website. The application from the school in question is available to be considered in this context.
310. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the shortage of primary school places in the Baldoyle area; his plans to add additional classes in a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9955/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers has not been in contact with my Department to advise of any issue arising in respect of school places in September 2017.
It is open to any school to submit an application to my Department if they have identified a deficit of classroom accommodation to meet increasing enrolments or to accommodate an additional teacher appointment. Application forms can be accessed on my Department's website www.education.ie.
311. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education and Skills if provision will be made for a new primary school at a location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9977/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor planning purposes the area referred to by the Deputy is located in the Department’s Finglas East/Ballymun Dublin 11 school planning area. There are currently 9 primary schools serving this area.
My Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for school places will arise. The GIS uses data from a range of sources including my Department’s own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises at primary and post primary level to determine where additional school accommodation is needed.
The outcome of the latest demographic analyses was the announcement of 13 new schools, four primary and nine post-primary, to open in 2017 and 2018. It was also stated that a range of areas nationwide are experiencing increased demographic pressure and will be kept under review by my Department. North West Dublin City, which includes the area referred to by the Deputy, is one of these areas. This review will take account of updated enrolment and child benefit data and also of the impact of planned capacity increases in this and adjoining areas.
The outcome of this review of demographic changes and school capacity in the school planning area will determine the means by which any additional school places required will be met.
