Thursday, 3 May 2018

Written Answers Nos. 76-100

Departmental Staff Training

Ceisteanna (77)

Timmy Dooley

Ceist:

77. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the amount spent on facilitating departmental members' attendance at social media training conferences or other external events. [19395/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

My Department has not incurred expenditure in facilitating officials to attend conferences in relation to social media training or other related events.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Ceisteanna (78)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

78. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of implementing one point reductions in average class size at primary level; and the estimated full year cost for reducing the average class size to 23 pupils. [19411/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

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 also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board.

The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location.

Budget 2018 includes a further one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools which brings the position to the most favourable ever seen at primary level. This measure will further assist all schools at the upper end of their individual respective bands. This budget measure delivers on a commitment made in the Confidence and Supply Agreement and Programme for Government to reduce primary schools class size.

These changes will come into effect in September 2018 for the 2018/19 school year.

Each 1 point adjustment to the primary staffing schedule is estimated to cost in the region of €16.5m per annum.

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Ceisteanna (79)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

79. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of implementing one point reductions in the average class size at post-primary level. [19412/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.

Each 1 point adjustment to the pupil teacher ratio at post primary level is estimated to cost in the region of €63m per annum.

School Staff

Ceisteanna (80)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

80. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of fully restoring the staffing schedule for retaining and gaining a teacher that applied for schools before 2012 for three, four and five teacher schools. [19413/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

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.

The 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. The detailed arrangements have been set out in the staffing schedule circular for the 2017/18 school year.

The cost of restoring the 2011/12 staffing schedule for small schools would be approximately €5m.

Capitation Grants

Ceisteanna (81, 85, 87)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

81. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring pre-2010 capitation levels to primary schools; and the estimated full year cost of a 10% increase in the capitation grant to primary schools. [19414/18]

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

85. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring capitation and related grants to primary and post-primary schools to pre-2011 levels. [19419/18]

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

87. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of a 20% increase per annum in the per capita capitation to voluntary secondary schools; and the estimated full year cost of a 10% increase in the capitation to community and comprehensive schools. [19421/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I propose to take Questions Nos. 81, 85 and 87 together.

The estimated cost of restoring capitation funding is provided in the following tables.

Estimated cost of restoring Capitation Funding to pre-2011 levels

Schools
Primary Schools	€17.6m
Post-Primary Schools	€18.0m

Estimated full year cost of % Increases in Capitation Funding

Schools
Primary Schools – 10% increase	€9.9m
Voluntary Secondary Schools - 20% increase	€10.3m
Community and Comprehensive Schools – 10% increase	€1.6m

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. In 2018, the budget for the Department of Education increased by €554 million to over €10 billion. Through budget 2017 and Budget 2018, we are now investing €1 billion more in education.

I recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. The first cuts to capitation were announced in October 2010 by the then Minister for Finance. Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions I have included in the Action Plan for Education.

The process is underway for restoring grant funding that is used by schools to fund the salaries of ancillary staff. The ancillary grant was increased by €6 in 2016, €5 in 2017 and €5 in 2018, in order to enable primary schools to implement the arbitration salary increase for grant funded school secretaries and caretakers and to also implement the restoration of salary for cleaners arising from the unwinding of FEMPI legislation. A similar type approach in relation to improvements in grant funding was applied, as appropriate, at post-primary level.

School Management

Ceisteanna (82)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

82. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of providing schools one administration day per week for teaching principals to cover the establishment of a permanent pool of teachers to replace teaching principals on their administration day. [19415/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Circular 12/2016, which is available on the Department website, outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their principal duties. Under these arrangements my Department pays for a substitute teacher to be employed by a school to facilitate administrative functions to be undertaken by the teaching principal. Under the current arrangements the number of days that principal teachers may take as release time in each school year ranges between 15 and 25 days depending on the size of the school.

Building on measures in previous budgets to enhance school leadership, Budget 2018 made €0.4 million available to fund additional release days for teaching principals in primary schools. This additional funding will see an increase in the number of release days available to teaching principals in the 2018/19 school year.

Enabling teaching principals to have one release day per week would cost approximately €12 million per annum.

National Educational Psychological Service Data

Ceisteanna (83)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

83. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of employing an additional 100 new National Educational Psychological Service psychologists. [19416/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides an educational psychological service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website.

The Programme for a Partnership Government commits that we will invest additional resources in the National Educational Psychological Service to ensure earlier intervention and access for young children and teenagers and to offer immediate support to schools in cases of critical incidents. The Programme commits to increasing psychologist numbers in NEPS by 65. I can inform the Deputy that to increase this number by a further 100 psychologists would demand a direct investment of some €7.3m per annum.

Special Educational Needs Data

Ceisteanna (84)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

84. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring temporary English posts as additional language posts to pre-2012 levels. [19418/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

I wish to advise the Deputy that DES Circular 0013/2017 for primary schools and 0014/2017 for post primary schools were published on 7th March 2017.

These Circulars set out the details of the new model for allocating special education teachers to schools.

The new Special Education Teaching allocation provides a single unified allocation for special educational support teaching needs to each school, based on each school’s educational profile and also encompasses the Language Support (EAL) allocation that schools were allocated in previous years.

Under the new allocation model, schools have been provided with a total allocation for special education needs support based on their school profile.

The provision of a profiled allocation is designed to give a fairer allocation for each school which recognises that all schools need an allocation for special needs support including language support but which provides a graduated allocation which takes into account the actual level of need in each school.

Under the new allocation model, schools are frontloaded with resources, based on each school’s profile, to provide supports immediately to those pupils who need it without delay.

It should be noted that this is a brand new model of allocation and is not comparable to the previous model. By using a broad range of attainment and socio-economic criteria, it is expected that generally, a school’s profile will remain relatively constant from year to year. Each year, some students with additional teaching needs will leave and others will enrol, broadly balancing the school profile.

Further additional temporary Language Support is also provided, as necessary, to schools that have high concentrations of pupils that require language (EAL) support. At primary level, these allocations are made on the basis of appeals by schools to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board and at post-primary level to the Post Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

Question No. 85 answered with Question No. 81.

School Guidance Counsellors

Ceisteanna (86)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

86. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring ex-quota guidance counsellors to all schools. [19420/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Measures announced by my Department as part of Budgets 2016, 2017 and 2018 mean that 500 of the 600 guidance posts that were withdrawn in Budget 2012, will be restored to schools from September 2018.

These 500 posts are allocated separately and transparently on each school's staffing schedule. These posts have been ring-fenced so they can only be used for guidance activities and to meet the guidance needs of the school.

The cost of restoring the remaining 100 posts is in the region of €6m. This will be considered in the context of future Budgets, however there are needs across the system which have to be balanced in the decisions made in each budget.

Question No. 87 answered with Question No. 81.

Momentum Programme

Ceisteanna (88)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

88. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of increasing the number of places available on the Momentum Programme by 20%. [19422/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

The Momentum programme was created in 2012 during the economic downturn to address the needs of long term unemployed and young unemployed individuals. It funded the provision of free education and training projects to support over 12,500 jobseekers (who had been unemployed for twelve months or more) to gain skills and access employment opportunities in growing sectors of the economy.

It was delivered through two programme iterations. The first (Momentum I) ran over the period 2012-2014, and the second (Momentum II) commenced in 2014 and concluded early last year. Momentum 1 cost in the order of €17m and Momentum II cost almost €19m. The cost of another round of Momentum with 20% greater numbers than Momentum II would be €22.8 million. It is likely that this total cost would be spread over more than a single year.

Given the overall improvement in the economic position, the welcome decline in the numbers who are unemployed and the consequent reduction in demand for training, there are no plans for a further round of the Momentum programme and participants are not currently being recruited.

Independent evaluations of both programmes have been carried out and published and are available on the SOLAS website at www.solas.ie .

School Transport Data

Ceisteanna (89)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

89. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring school transport services to the criteria that existed pre-2011. [19423/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills

School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.

Currently over 116,000 children, including over 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,500 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.

The changes introduced in Budget 2011, derived from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the Scheme and encompassed a number of elements such as national application of the distance rule of 3.2 kilometres at primary level, the cessation of the Closed/Central School Rule at primary level, the cessation of catchment boundary area to determine eligibility at post primary level, the increase from seven to 10 eligible pupils residing in a distinct locality to retain or establish a school transport service and the introduction of charges at primary level.

Given that school transport is a demand led service it is difficult to cost school transport services on the basis of restoring the Scheme to the criteria that existed pre 2011. However, in general the unit cost for transporting mainstream children is some €1,000 per annum, while the unit cost for transporting children with special educational needs is €7,000 or €9,000 when the provision of escorts are included.

During the 2010/11 school year almost 124,000 children were availing of school transport including over 8,000 children with special educational needs.

Teachers' Remuneration

Ceisteanna (90)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

90. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring all allowances to new entry teachers which were abolished in 2012-2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19424/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As a consequence of the economic crisis, there was a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure so as to stabilise the country's public finances.

The Government approved a number of measures relating to public service allowances following a public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments conducted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. As a result of the Government decision, certain allowances were withdrawn for new beneficiaries with effect from 1 February 2012. The details are set out in my Department's Circular 08/2013.

Any person who was in receipt of the relevant allowances on 31 January 2012 will continue to be paid that allowance except where that teacher ceases that job role or changes school or employer on or after 1 February 2012. Where a teacher is redeployed under the agreed redeployment scheme, this will not be regarded as a cessation.

As part of the public service-wide review of allowances, the Government withdrew qualification allowances for new teachers altogether. As a result of the September 2016 Agreement with Unions, revised salary scales which include the Honours Primary Degree allowance have been applied from 1 January 2018 to teachers recruited since 1 January 2011.  A  registered teacher now commences on an annual  salary of over €35,950 under the Public Service Stability Agreement 2018 - 2020.  The starting salary for a registered teacher commencing teaching for the first time in October 2020 will be €37,600.  

The information on the estimated cost of allowances is being collated and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy.

The deferred reply under Standing Order 42A was forwarded to the Deputy.

Teachers' Remuneration

Ceisteanna (91)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

91. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of appointing 350 assistant principal posts. [19425/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The annual allowance currently payable for the post of Assistant Principal 1 is €8,520 and Assistant Principal 2 is €3,769.

The annual costs of appointing 350 posts at AP1 & AP2 level are outlined below:

Assistant Principal 1

Annual Allowance: €8,520

Annual Cost of 350 AP1 Posts: €2,982,000

Assistant Principal 2

Annual Allowance: €3,769

Annual Cost of 350 AP2 Posts: €1,319,150

School Curriculum

Ceisteanna (92)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

92. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of introducing a computing and coding curriculum for primary schools. [19426/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Exact expenditure figures regarding the teaching of Computing or Coding in primary schools are not available, as funding is not allocated by my Department on a subject-by-subject basis. However, work in this area is taking place at both primary and post-primary levels.

Shortly after being appointed, I asked the NCCA how coding and computational and creative thinking skills could be incorporated into the primary school curriculum.

The new draft Primary Mathematics Curriculum which is being developed by the NCCA at present, provides opportunities for children to develop computational, flexible and creative thinking skills which contribute to the foundations of coding. In addition the NCCA are working with a network of schools to explore different approaches to integrating coding in the primary curriculum.

Currently the PDST Technology in Education provide training for both primary and post primary teachers in ICT which includes 'Scratch' coding. 5,800 teachers received ICT training in 2016.

Furthermore, a large number of schools are running voluntary coding programmes through initiatives such as Coder Dojo (over 200 dojos in Ireland), Hour of Code, where over 200 events took place in Ireland and the annual computer programming Olympiad held at Dublin City University.

Further resources in this area will be looked at in conjunction with the STEM Education Policy Statement and Implementation Plan which was published in late 2017.

Student Grants Data

Ceisteanna (93)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

93. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of restoring postgraduate grants to 2011 levels. [19427/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The Deputy will be aware of the Programme for Government commitment to increase financial supports for post graduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households.

In response to this commitment, additional funding of €4 million was secured in Budget 2017 and a further €3 million in Budget 2018, to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged post graduate students.

This will benefit approximately 1,100 of the most disadvantaged post graduate students who meet the eligibility criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant, from September 2017, and it reverses the budgetary cut that was imposed on this cohort of students in 2012.

However, if the maintenance grants and eligibility for full fees were reintroduced for post-graduate students, the total estimated cost would be approximately €40m. This is additional to the €7 million secured in Budgets 2017 & 2018.

This costing assumes that the actual number of post graduate grant holders (2,141 in 2016/17) will increase to the level prior to the introduction of the 2012 Budget measure (6,027 students). It also assumes that students will qualify for the higher fee and maintenance grants.

Student Grants Data

Ceisteanna (94)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

94. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of linking student maintenance grants to the CPI. [19428/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

According to the CSO, prices on average, as measured by the CPI, were 0.2% higher in March 2018 compared with March 2017.

In the academic year 2016/2017 the total amount spend on maintenance grants was €170.9m.

Applying a 0.2% increase to the maintenance grant expenditure of €170.9m would increase the cost by €341k.

Student Assistance Fund

Ceisteanna (95)

Barry Cowen

Ceist:

95. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year cost of increasing the student assistance fund to peak levels in 2012-2013. [19429/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

In December 2012, an additional €3 million was approved to supplement the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) following a survey conducted by the HEA in relation to the demand for the Fund.

This supplementary funding was a once-off exceptional measure which was taken in the context of long grant delays/issues encountered by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) in its initial year of operation.

An additional allocation of €1.5m was secured in budget 2016 for the Student Assistance Fund. A further €1m was secured in budget 2017 to extend the Student Assistance Fund to part-time students. The allocation under the Fund for the 2017/18 is €9.1 million.

Summer Works Scheme Applications

Ceisteanna (96)

Robert Troy

Ceist:

96. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an application by a school (details supplied) for works to be carried out on car parking facilities will be reviewed; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19463/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

The Summer Works Scheme is designed to allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works that will improve and upgrade existing school buildings. This scheme is additional to other capital funding schemes that are operated by the Department such as the additional accommodation scheme, Emergency Works scheme i.e. for projects of such urgency that they would prevent some or all of the school from opening, and Minor Works schemes.

The Summer Works Scheme (SWS) is a multi-annual Scheme. Over 1,650 schools, nearly 50% of schools, applied for inclusion under the current round of the scheme which reflects a very high demand.

To date, almost €80 million has been approved under the current round of the Scheme, in respect of 635 school projects, 464 primary and 171 post-primary schools, for Gas, electrical upgrades, mechanical, sanitation and roof improvement works.. Details of the successful school applicants, are published on the Department's website www.education.ie .

In relation to the Summer Works Scheme 2018, over €25 million will be spent on summer works projects in 2018. This expenditure will enable the remaining approved improvement works for 178 schools nationwide to be completed. These works will be carried out by the schools themselves on a devolved basis mainly over the summer months, so the disruption to students, teachers and other school staff will be kept to a minimum.

Furthermore, the Department intends to engage with the relevant education partners in relation to giving schools a better lead-in period for planning and delivering projects under the summer works scheme from 2019 onwards. While the Summer Works Scheme is hugely successful in enabling small scale refurbishment works to be done on a devolved basis, the Department considers that the operation of the scheme could be improved by providing a better lead-in period for schools rather than in Quarter 2 as in previous years. This will also help ensure that works done under the Summer Works Scheme fit better with any wider refurbishment/energy retrofit plans that may be done at schools under the increased funding provided in the National Development Plan. The engagement with education partners will commence shortly and will assist in developing a better timeline for the planning and delivery of summer works projects for 2019 onwards.

DEIS Applications

Ceisteanna (97)

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

97. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a decision has been made in respect of a DEIS status application by a school (details supplied) in County Mayo; the reason the school has been excluded from the scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19464/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

Schools are not required to make an application for inclusion in the DEIS programme, as all schools are assessed using a new uniform identification model.

We have, for the first time, introduced an objective, statistics based model for deciding which schools merit inclusion in the DEIS Programme, so that all stakeholders can have confidence that we are targeting extra resources at those schools with the highest concentrated levels of disadvantage.

The key data sources used in the DEIS identification process 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, dependency ratios, education levels, single parent rate, overcrowding, social class, occupation and unemployment rates. This data is combined with pupil data supplied by schools, anonymised and aggregated to small area, to provide information on the relative level of concentrated disadvantage present in the pupil cohort of individual schools.

A detailed document explaining the methodology used in the Identification process is available on the Department’s website at

https://www.education.ie/en/Schools-Colleges/Services/DEIS-Delivering-Equality-of-Opportunity-in-Schools-/DEIS-Identification-Process.pdf

It is important to note that schools included in DEIS with effect from September 2017 are those whose level of disadvantage has been identified as those schools serving the highest concentrations of disadvantage among their pupil cohort. 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 identification model.

As the Deputy will be aware, an update of the identification model is currently underway. This will take account of updated school data as provided by schools for the current school year combined with the Pobal HP Index of Deprivation, based on CSO Small Area Population statistics derived from the 2016 National Census. It is envisaged that this process will be completed in the coming weeks.

Should this exercise reveal that any school, including the school referred to by the Deputy, which did not qualify for DEIS in 2017 meets the criteria applicable to schools with the highest concentration of disadvantage based on the updated information, then additional schools may be included subject to available resources.

Question No. 98 answered with Question No. 75.

Schools Building Projects

Ceisteanna (99)

John Lahart

Ceist:

99. Deputy John Lahart asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the need for new national or secondary schools in the Charlestown and Meakstown areas of Dublin 11 has been examined or assessed. [19541/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Education and Skills

As the Deputy may be aware, in order to plan for school provision and analyse the relevant demographic data, my Department divides the country into 314 school planning areas. For school planning purposes Meakstown/Charlestown is located in the Finglas East-Ballymun-Dublin 11 school planning area, in which there are currently 9 primary schools.

As the Deputy will be aware, I recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next 4 years (2019 to 2022). This announcement follows nationwide, demographic exercises carried out by my Department into the future need for primary and post-primary schools across the country.

In addition to the new schools announced, there may be a need for further school accommodation in other areas in the future which can be addressed through either planned capacity increases in existing schools or additional accommodation or extensions to existing schools.

I have highlighted that the requirement for new schools will be kept under on-going review and in particular would have regard for the increased roll-out of housing provision as outlined in Project Ireland 2040.

Departmental Correspondence

Ceisteanna (100)

Dara Calleary

Ceist:

100. Deputy Dara Calleary asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if he is in receipt of correspondence from a person (details supplied) in County Roscommon; if the correspondence is being acted upon; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19329/18]

Freagraí scríofa

Minister for Justice and Equality

I can inform the Deputy that my Department has been in ongoing contact with the person in question since 2015 in relation to their concerns. My Department has written to this person to outline the current position and also suggested possible options should they wish to pursue the matter further.

In relation to the most recent correspondence, I can advise the Deputy that it has been received by my Department and is currently receiving attention, and I expect a substantive response to issue in the very near future.