Written Answers Nos. 356-377
356. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the five lowest in numerical order leaving certificate points and associated health profession admission test, HPAT scores of the persons accepted to study undergraduate medicine via mature student entry for each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46229/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra357. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of applicants for mature student entry to UCD medicine for each of the years 2015, 2016 and 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46232/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra358. Deputy Alan Kelly asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which an application for entry to a course (details supplied) on mature grounds is assessed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46233/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 356 to 358 inclusive together. The third level institutions are autonomous bodies and my Department does not have a role in relation to their admissions policies.
Mature Entry into the undergraduate Medicine course specified, is primarily targeted at applicants who do not hold a Level 8 Honours undergraduate degree (or equivalent). Eligible applicants are ranked on the basis of their performance in the HPAT Ireland assessment. The top performing applicants are then assessed on the basis of the written application and further shortlisted for interview. Successful applicants are then selected on the basis of their performance at the interview. If a persons HPAT is adequate, their written application will then be assessed under the following headings - Academic Ability (evidence of academic ability as displayed by final school leaving examinations and/or other assessed courses or examinations undertaken may also be taken into account); Work Experience, Personal and Professional Development; Motivation and Interest; other information which is relevant to the application (Personal Statement template to assist with this) and References (application must be supported by at least two letters of recommendation). Further details are available on the institutional website.
The number of EU mature applicants for entry to the UCD undergraduate Medicine course in 2015 was 164, in 2016 it was 163, and in 2017 was 169.
I am arranging for further information on mature applicants to undergraduate medicine programmes to be collected for the Deputy.
360. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills his Department's position on the refusal for a group (detail supplied) to be recognised as a distinct ethos by Bus Éireann for the purposes of school transport; his plans to rectify same; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46289/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school.
Children are generally eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria and are attending their nearest school.
In relation to school transport provision, ethos relates to religious ethos and is in the context of provision for minority religions.
361. Deputy James Lawless asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the outstanding works will be completed on a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46295/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe building project to which the Deputy refers was devolved for delivery to the local Education & Training Board. The ETB is working with its Design Team to resolve all of the project snag issues. My Department understands that while some issues have been resolved, others remain. An updated snag list has been issued to the contractor to be attended to as quickly as possible. Monies have been retained on the contract until all snag issues have been satisfactorily resolved.
362. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will address issues with regard to a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46305/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra375. Deputy Seán Crowe asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) has had its application for an additional teacher refused (details supplied); and if the decision not to provide the school with an additional teacher will be reconsidered. [46412/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 362 and 375 together. The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually on the Department 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.
The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0017/2017.
Firhouse Educate Together National School submitted an application to the April and October meeting of the Appeals Board under three separate criteria, Accommodation, Class Size and Developing. The Appeals Board determined that these appeals did not warrant the allocation of additional posts for the 2017/18 school year on confirmation of pupil enrolments on the 30th September 2017.
The Staffing Schedule also includes the provision where schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds. The school referred to by the Deputy was successful in being granted one additional post on developing grounds for the 2017/18 school year based on confirmed enrolments. The school has been notified accordingly.
The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
363. Deputy Louise O'Reilly asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will meet an organisation (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46330/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAll diary requests are managed by my private office. A reply will issue to the organization in question shortly.
364. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Education and Skills if transport sanctioned for a person (details supplied) can be expedited; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46331/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2016/17 school year almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of the scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability.
An application for school transport has been received for the child in question and the family will be contacted directly as soon as the application has been processed.
365. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of extending maintenance grants to all students at the current 25%, 50%, 75% and 100% rate and at the current special rate. [46334/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2017, my Department will invest almost €450m in access measures to assist students to participate in and complete higher and further education.
In the 2016/17 academic year, 78,904 further and higher education students received a SUSI grant. The latest statistics for the total number of full-time higher and PLC students is 212,579. Based on an average maintenance grant of €2,150, the estimated cost of extending the maintenance grant to all full-time students would be €287m.
366. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a deadline will be set for the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education and Skills to make a recommendation on the future funding of higher education. [46335/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt was in recognition of the funding challenge in higher education that the Government appointed an Expert Group to examine future funding requirements for higher education and to present options for developing a sustainable long term funding strategy for the sector. The Expert Group’s report, which was published in July 2016, clearly outlines the funding challenges and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration. I referred the expert group report to the Oireachtas Joint Committee for Education and Skills as committed to in the Programme For Government.
A deadline has not been set for the completion of the Joint Oireachtas Committee's deliberations. That would be a decision for the Joint Oireachtas Committee itself.
I look forward to receiving the Committee’s recommendations in due course which will assist in facilitating informed decision-making for the future direction of funding for higher education
In the interim, I have been aware of the immediate challenges facing the higher education sector and so while the Committee has been undertaking this important work, I have been working to secure additional funding for the sector. It was in that context that I secured additional funding for the sector in Budget 2017 of €36.5 million.
Building on the progress made in Budget 2017, I secured an additional €60 million for higher education in Budget 2018. This additional funding will allow for targeted initiatives in higher education including skills programmes, performance and innovation funding, technological university development and apprenticeship costs in the sector. It will also allow for places to be provided for 2,100 additional students in 2018. In total, we will be investing €100m more in higher and further education in 2018 than in 2016.
367. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of restoring SUSI grant rates and thresholds to pre-2011 levels; and the number of estimated additional students that would be eligible under the scheme if grants were restored to these levels. [46336/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra368. Deputy Michael Collins asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of increasing SUSI grant thresholds by an additional 10% on top of the pre-2011 threshold if those were to be restored; and the number of estimated additional students that would be eligible under the reformed scheme. [46337/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 367 to 368 together. It is not possible to definitively estimate “the cost of increasing SUSI grant thresholds by an additional 10% on top of the pre-2011 threshold if those were to be restored; and the number of estimated additional students that would be eligible under the reformed scheme”.
To put it in context, in 2010/11 there were 71,532 students who benefitted from grant support at a cost of €355m, whereas in 2016/17 there were 78,904 students in receipt of grant support at a cost of €377m. In the intervening years we have centralised the student grant scheme (replacing four separate schemes and sixty six awarding authorities with one scheme administered by a centralised awarding authority), had a complete turnover of students, income levels have changed and numerous changes have been made to the annual schemes which affect eligibility criteria. Furthermore, increasing the income thresholds by 10% will attract additional students who currently don’t apply to SUSI. There is no way of accurately predicting the number of additional students who might apply if the income thresholds were increased by 10% also, SUSI does not have any income data on such students that might enable some estimate of the likely cost.
369. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions he will take following the finding of the Comptroller and Auditor General that the accounting arrangements between his Department and Bus Éireann to deliver school transport are inadequate in view of the significant level of costs involved. [46353/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra370. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the costs to be met from the transport management charge indicates that the funding received by Bus Éireann from his Department was in excess of costs in each of the four years to 2014 resulting in a reported accumulated surplus of €11.2 million at the end of 2015. [46354/17]
Amharc ar fhreagra371. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason his Department does not carry out verification checks on Bus Éireann’s analysis of the expenses to be met from the school transport management charge. [46355/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 369 to 371 inclusive together. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
During the 2016/17 school year almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, were transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has carried out an examination of the provision of school transport. The examination focused on whether the Department can demonstrate that it is achieving value for money through its arrangements with Bus Éireann to deliver the service and the oversight exercised by the Department on how the school transport service is delivered.
In general the Department agrees with the recommendations and is taking steps to action these:
- a Service Level Agreement has been put in place between the two organisations
- an independent company have been engaged to provide an overview of the apportionment methodology adopted by Bus Éireann to allocate the indirect and overhead costs (referred to as the Transport Management Charge) to the Department
- the Department is working to carry out an independent route audit to ensure that current routes are effective and efficient in line with eligible children numbers.
The Department continues to work with Bus Éireann to monitor the costs of the scheme and to analyse them on a monthly basis at scheduled meetings. The Department takes account of the robust Bus Éireann internal financial control procedures, together with the independent assurance reporting provided by the external auditors regarding the operation of the school transport scheme.
Finally, the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements, remains the current arrangements in operation and the steps outlined above are intended to strengthen the governance arrangements. The remaining uncommitted reserve of some €6.7 million (at end 2016) may only be used for reinvestment in the school transport scheme as has been the case heretofore.
372. Deputy David Cullinane asked the Minister for Education and Skills the contracts his Department or bodies under the aegis of his Department have with a company (details supplied) or its subsidiaries; the value of the contracts; the year in which the contracts were concluded; when the contracts will be up for renewal; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46371/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraFollowing an examination of my Department's FMS system, outlined below is the information requested by the Deputy in respect of my Department.
Subsidiaries of a company with “Capita” in the title have not been identified from the information provided by the Deputy.
The information requested by the Deputy in relation to bodies under the aegis of my Department is not readily available. It will be collated and forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
|
YEAR |
NAME OF COMPANY |
NAME OF SUBSIDIARY |
VALUE OF CONTRACT € |
YEAR CONTRACT CONCLUDED |
WHEN CONTRACT UP FOR RENEWAL |
|
2017 |
Capita Business Support Services Ireland Ltd |
N/A |
€35,569.14 |
* |
2020 |
|
2015 |
Capita Business Services Ltd. |
N/A |
€59,593.50 |
2015 |
N/A |
|
2012 |
Capita Conferences |
N/A |
€565.79 |
2012 |
N/A |
|
2012 |
Capita IB Solutions (Ireland)Ltd. |
N/A |
€40,251.75 |
2012 |
N/A |
* to be signed shortly
The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.
373. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a new build for a school (details supplied); the timeframe for the build; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46399/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that a project for the school in question is included in my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme.
My Department has advised the Patron of the school that with the agreement of Kildare Wicklow Education Training Board, the school will be co-located with the Bray Institute of Further Education on its site at Novara Avenue, Bray. The site will be master planned to accommodate both entities and my Department will be in further contact with the Patron in the context of initiating the architectural planning process for a building project for the school in question.
374. Deputy Danny Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reverse pupil teacher thresholds to 2011/2012 levels; his further plans to ensure a campaign (details supplied) is commenced in September 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46405/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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.
Following a review of the staffing allocation for Small Primary Schools, Budget 2017 announced two adjustments in relation to one teacher schools. Where the school is the sole primary school on an island the school will be able to appoint a second teacher. In relation to single teacher schools generally with an enrolment of 15 or more pupils the school can apply to the staffing appeal board for a second post where the single teacher has children across 6 or more class groups.
Budget 2018 marked the second year of major reinvestment in the education sector, as we continue to implement the Action Plan for Education, which has the central aim to make the Irish Education and training service the best in Europe within a decade.
Budget 2018 provides for an additional 1280 teaching posts in the 2018/19 school year. This includes a one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools which brings the position to the most favourable ever seen at primary level.
These changes will come into effect in September 2018 for the 2018/19 school year.
It is expected that this one point improvement in the staffing schedule when implemented in September 2018 will further improve the overall ratio of teacher to students. The latest figures in relation to pupil teacher ratio show an improved ratio of teachers to students from 16:1 to 15.7:1 at primary level when comparing the 2015/16 school year to the 2016/17 school year.
The increase in teacher numbers in the current school year as a result of Budget 2017, will be reflected in the ratio of teachers to students when this information is published at the end of the school year.
376. Deputy Michael Moynihan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the proposed new national school in Kanturk, County Cork; the timeframe for the commencement and completion of this project; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46433/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware the delivery of a new primary school in Kanturk has been devolved to the Office of Public Works (OPW).
My Department has finalised the necessary legal arrangements in respect of off-site works in order to facilitate the progression of the project and approval has been given to the OPW to tender for these necessary enabling works. The tender documents for the works are completed and will issue shortly pending clarification from the ESB that the application made to them in relation to carrying out the works is still valid.
377. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills the schools with autism units in Dún Laoghaire; if these autism units are located in boys' schools, girls' schools or co-educational schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [46449/17]
Amharc ar fhreagraThis Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network.
Such placements facilitate access to individualised education programmes which may draw from a range of appropriate educational interventions, delivered by fully qualified professional teachers, with the support of Special Needs Assistants and the appropriate school curriculum.
Some students, although academically able to access the curriculum in mainstream, may find it too difficult to manage full-time placement there. This can be due to significant difficulties in areas such as behaviour or sensory needs which have not been ameliorated, even with appropriate intervention, in mainstream.
Students enrolling in ASD Special Classes must have a report from a relevant professional or team of professionals (for example, psychologist, speech and language therapist, psychiatrist) stating that:
- S/he has ASD, and that
- S/he has significant learning needs that require the support of a special class setting and the reasons why this is the case.
The NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), in consultation with the relevant education partners, is responsible for the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas where there is an identified need.
Schools may apply to the NCSE to open a special class where a need has been identified in their area i.e. a number of students have professional reports indicating they require the support of a special class.
SENOs may also approach a school directly where they are aware that a special class is or will be required in the near future. SENOs consult with other education parties (e.g. NEPS and Inspectorate) when planning to set up a special class.
Before approaching schools to request the establishment of a special class, SENOs take into account both present and future potential needs within the area and must be satisfied that the class is sustainable and appropriately located.
While it is not always possible to ensure that a special class placement will be available in a child’s local school, the NCSE has informed my Department that, in general, they are satisfied that there are sufficient ASD special class placements to meet existing demand.
My Department continues to work with the NCSE to ensure that there is appropriate planning in place to ensure that all children who require special class placements can access such placements in schools within their communities.
Details of all special classes for children with special educational needs, including those in the area to which the Deputy has referred are available on www.ncse.ie in county order, and with new classes identified.
The following table outlines the schools in the area referred to by the Deputy that have ASD special classes and also indicates whether the classes cater for boys, girls or are co-educational (mixed):
|
School Name |
Location |
Boys/Girls/Mixed |
|
Loreto Primary National School |
Dalkey |
Mixed |
|
Our Lady of Good Counsel Girls NS |
Dun Laoghaire |
Girls |
|
Holy Family National School |
Monkstown |
Mixed |
|
St. Johns National School |
Ballybrack |
Boys |
|
Newpark Comprehensive School |
Blackrock |
Mixed |
|
Holy Child Community School |
Sallynoggin |
Mixed |
|
The Red Door Special School |
Monkstown |
Mixed |
|
Setanta Special School |
Stillorgan |
Mixed |
|
Ballyowen Meadows Special School |
Dun Laoghaire |
Mixed |
|
St. Augustine’s Special School |
Blackrock |
Mixed |
Parents/Guardians who may need advice or are experiencing difficulties in locating a school placement should contact their local Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) who can assist in identifying an appropriate educational placement for their child. Contact details are available on www.ncse.ie .
