Written Answers Nos. 273-293
273. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of public servants who will reach retirement age before the end of 2022, by profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24631/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe authorities responsible for the administration of the large number of pension schemes operating in the various sectors of the Irish public service are, in general, the relevant employers and Ministers in those sectors.
It would be a matter for those sectorial authorities, including relevant Ministers, to supply such information as may be available in respect of projected retiree numbers of those individual pension schemes.
I and my Department are responsible for the civil service pension schemes, which cover personnel in established and unestablished civil service and State Industrial posts.
Established staff who joined the civil service before 2004 can choose to retire having reached minimum voluntary retirement age (age 60 generally, or age 50 in the case of Prison Officers with 30 years service). By its nature, it is difficult to predict the level of retirements in any one year. A forecast of numbers of staff reaching the minimum retirement age of 60 shows that the demographics are such that the numbers eligible to retire will rise until at least 2021. Details of the forecast are outlined below.
|
2018 |
2019 |
2020 |
2021 |
2022 |
|
|
Projected numbers who will reach retirement age (60) |
1,053 |
1,112 |
1,413 |
1,775 |
1,754 |
Information on the professions of retirees is not held centrally by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform.
274. Deputy Seán Canney asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of public servants who have retired in each year since 2007; the professional occupation of each at the time of retirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24632/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe authorities responsible for the administration of the large number of pension schemes operating in the various sectors of the Irish public service are, in general, the relevant employers and Ministers in those sectors.
It would be a matter for those sectorial authorities, including relevant Ministers, to supply such information as may be available in respect of the number of retirees in each year to those individual pension schemes.
I and my Department are responsible for the civil service pension schemes, which cover personnel in established and unestablished civil service and State Industrial posts.
There have been 14,489 retirements from the civil service since 2007. The retirements are broken out by year in the following table.
|
Year |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
TOTAL |
|
No. of retirees |
830 |
840 |
2,191 |
1,260 |
1,070 |
1,846 |
852 |
1,301 |
1,363 |
1,457 |
1,479 |
14,489 |
Issues with the recording of historical data means that the professional occupation of each retiree is not readily available.
276. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the EU fines paid in each of the years 2015 to 2017, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25034/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm for the Deputy that the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has not paid EU fines in any of the years 2015 to 2017.
I understand that this question has also been forwarded to other Government Departments. They will reply to the Deputy separately in respect of their own remit.
277. Deputy Ruth Coppinger asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the number of residential properties owned by the Office of Public Works in the Phoenix Park that are vacant; the plans of the OPW to have such properties occupied; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25136/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Commissioners of Public Works, on behalf of the State, manage a large and diverse property portfolio of over 2,500 properties. These range from office accommodation to heritage properties, visitor centres, Garda stations, among others.
In addition, there are a limited number of sundry residential dwellings that are intrinsic to the estates of parks and gardens as part of our National Historic Properties managed by the Office of Public Works. In general, these are allocated to staff in specific posts, such as Park Superintendents, Deer Keepers, etc. where there is a requirement for them to be present on the ground.
There are 7 such dwellings in the Phoenix Park that are currently unoccupied, due to the poor condition of the properties. It is hoped that as funds become available the OPW will commence a programme of refurbishment of these properties, at which point a decision on their future use will be considered in line with their particular location as part of the Phoenix Park estate.
278. Deputy Mattie McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the sections and Parts of all legislation brought forward by his Department in each of the past four years that have yet to be commenced; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25183/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThere are no sections or Parts of any legislation brought forward by my Department in the past four years that have yet to be commenced.
279. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform further to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 216 to 219, inclusive, of 29 May 2018, if a matter (details supplied) will be addressed regarding the calculation of the cost of equalising pay. [25191/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs set out in the answer to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 216 to 219, inclusive, of 29 May 2018 the estimated €195m-€200m cost is annualised based on an assumed increment date of 1 January to give the full year cost of the measure.
However, individual increment dates vary considerably across the year, with some grades and/or sectors recruiting in cohorts (garda, defence and education) which can considerably skew the data.
In addition salary scales are not consistent across grades and sectors. As a result, the interaction between the number of public servants, their point on scale, increment dates and the actual increment jump has a significant impact on costs.
As a consequence it would be wrong to assume a straight 50/50 split over two years. For example for someone with an increment date of March: 83% of the cost falls in year 1 with the remaining 17% forming a carryover cost in year 2.
Again, as previously stated, the necessary information to provide an estimate of costs associated with a phased implementation is not currently available to my Department.
Since the publication of the report, IGEES economists in my department, in support of the discussions between the parties, have engaged in further work to assess and model the potential budgetary implications and impacts through phasing of the overall quantum.
This work is currently on-going.
280. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform when proposed works (details supplied) will be carried out; if the contractor has been contacted and asked to give a date for the proposed works to be done; and, if contact has not been made with the contractor, whether contact will be made with them with immediate effect. [25219/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm that the Office of Public Works (OPW) has appointed a contractor to carry out the maintenance works referred to by the deputy. These works are scheduled to be completed this week.
281. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the position in respect of the retirement lump sum for public servants retiring after March 2019; the details of changes in the calculation of the lump sum; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25254/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI am taking it that the Deputy is referring to the consequences for the calculation of public service occupational pension benefits of the programmed expiry of the current 'grace period' at the end of March 2019 (in fact, the last day of the grace period is 1 April 2019).
The introduction of the ‘grace periods’ under FEMPI was to allow the pay rates that were in force prior to the implementation of pay cuts to be applied when calculating the pension entitlements of employees who were retiring and were affected by those pay cuts. Following the expiry of the first grace period in February 2012, those retiring after that date had their pension entitlements calculated on the basis of their actual final salary on the day of retirement.
The further pay reduction applied to the cohort of public servants earning more than €65,000 in June 2013 has also been subject to a similar grace period. Currently, the lump sum of a retiring public servant in that cohort is calculated on the basis of the pre-2013 pay cut rate of pay (adjusted for the general pay increase of 1% from 1 January 2018 under the Public Service Pay and Pensions Act 2017). Because of the expiration of the grace period and in the context of pay restoration, from 2 April 2019 onwards, pensions and lump sums will again be based on actual pay, not grace-period-protected pay. This will apply equally to individuals who are not at the top point of their pay scale and whose increments were paused under FEMPI 2013; the pension entitlements of such individuals will be calculated based on their current pay point at retirement rather than the pay point they would have been on had the increment pauses not occurred. Accordingly, individuals in that group retiring from 2 April 2019 onwards should have regard to their own particular salary point and current or future pay increments in their retirement planning.
282. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if an official from his Department will be appointed to engage with a person (details supplied) to negotiate an agreement regarding access to their land for flood relief works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25263/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraDay to day management of the Templemore flood relief scheme rests with the Office of Public Works (OPW). The OPW has engaged with all landowners and property owners affected by the scheme in a constructive and courteous manner at all times. In the case in question the OPW has met with the person on a number of occasions to discuss his concerns and advise him of what is involved in the scheme and what avenues are open to him to address those concerns. The OPW wrote most recently to him on 28th May 2018 and indicated that, if he wished, it was open to him to engage the services of a professional advisor with OPW covering all reasonable costs, or to contact OPW directly to set up a meeting to discuss his concerns further.
As you know, the flood relief scheme will bring enormous benefit to the people and business community of Templemore and the OPW is anxious to maintain progress with the scheme while dealing with all property and landowner concerns in a fair and reasonable manner.
283. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform his Department's capital allocation in each of the years 2019 to 2023; and the areas to which funds will be allocated in each of those years. [25576/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of capital investment undertaken by my Department, including the Office of Government Procurement (OGP), is to deliver greater effectiveness and efficiency across the Civil and Public Service. The nature of many of the reform initiatives set out in ambitious reform plans, such as Our Public Service 2020 and the Public Service ICT Strategy, is that up-front investment is sometimes required to deliver service improvements and greater consolidation and efficiency across the Civil and Public Service in the medium and long term. Therefore, this can involve my Department taking on additional costs, including capital costs, in the short-term.
The Department’s capital allocation for the years 2019 to 2022 is set out below.
|
Subhead and Vote |
2019 €m |
2020 €m |
2021 €m |
2022 €m |
Total €m |
|
Subhead and Vote |
2019 €m |
2020 €m |
2021 €m |
2022 €m |
Total €m |
|
B.6 OGCIO |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
|
DPER Vote 11 (Total) |
5 |
5 |
5 |
5 |
20 |
|
OGP Vote 39 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
1 |
4 |
|
Overall Departmental Total |
6 |
6 |
6 |
6 |
24 |
Capital allocations for 2023 will be determined during the Budget 2019 process. The multi-annual Exchequer capital allocations agreed in Budget 2018 under the National Development Plan underpin each Department’s capital planning process for a five-year period from 2018 to 2022. These five-year allocations will be reviewed and extended annually on a rolling basis to include a fifth year, as part of the annual Estimates process. This will provide Government with an annual opportunity to review the allocations in light of any implementation issues arising and/or new priorities which may emerge as the National Development Plan is implemented.
The Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO), which is also part of my Department, invests and develops IT infrastructure on behalf of my Department, the Department of Finance, the National Shared Services Office and the OGP. However, its broader role is to leverage ICT to gain efficiencies and to improve the effectiveness of service delivery across the Civil and Public Service.
The OGCIO takes the lead on driving forward the implementation of the Public Service ICT Strategy, working with Departments and agencies across the Public Service. Capital investment in the period will be allocated to projects that support the five strategic themes of the strategy which are; Build to Share, Digital First, Data as an Enabler, Improve Governance, and Increase Capability. For instance, under the Build to Share pillar of the Strategy, the OGCIO continues to enhance the Government Network that has been in existence for many years. As a result of this investment, the Network will operate at higher speeds, providing high capacity services to the wider Public Service. The enhanced network will support agencies in the roll-out of new applications, new ways of working and engaging with the citizen.
The OGP continues to invest in its IT systems to deliver on its mandate to drive procurement savings to the State. For example, the OGP is continuing to invest in the eTenders platform to support national and EU procurement requirements. A CRM / Workflow Management System is also being implemented to support OGP’s Customer Service function and sourcing activities of the OGP and its sector partners.
284. Deputy Michael McGrath asked the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the gross voted current expenditure in each year since 2010; the annual percentage increase or decrease in each year; the gross voted capital expenditure in each year since 2010; the annual percentage increase or decrease in each year in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25716/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe following table shows the trend in total gross voted expenditure, gross voted current expenditure and gross voted capital expenditure from 2010 to 2018. Figures presented for 2010 – 2016 are based on the Appropriation Accounts, while figures for 2017 are the Provisional Outturn amounts notified by Departments. The 2017 Provisional Outturn does not include any amount in respect of capital carryover spent in 2017. Capital expenditure of €74 million was carried over from 2016 into 2017. 2018 figures presented here are as set out in the 2018 Revised Estimates Volume (REV).
A number of technical adjustments are reflected in the table below. At the beginning of 2015 the HSE Vote was disestablished, with voted funding for the HSE now provided from the Department of Health Vote. As a consequence of this change, certain items, amounting to approximately €1 billion in 2014, previously accounted for as appropriations-in-aid in the HSE Vote are collected directly as income by the HSE and reflected in the HSE accounts. This impacts on the year-on-year change between 2014 and 2015. Adjusting to allow a like-for-like comparison, the year-on-year change between 2014 and 2015 is 2.8% for gross voted expenditure. REV 2018 saw a significant technical adjustment relating to the funding of domestic water services. Following enactment of the Water Services Act 2017 all motor tax receipts are being paid into the Exchequer rather than the Local Government Fund and all State funding for domestic water services is now provided from voted expenditure by the Department of Housing, Planning and Local Government. This technical change resulted in an increase of €500 million in gross voted capital expenditure and €292 million in gross voted current expenditure in REV 2018 relative to the amounts included in the Budget Estimates for 2018. Excluding this adjustment, the year-on-year increase in gross voted expenditure from 2017 to 2018 on a like-for-like basis would be c. 4%.
|
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
2015 |
2016 |
2017 |
2018 |
|
|
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
€m |
|
|
Total Gross Voted Expenditure |
60,564 |
57,362 |
55,958 |
54,373 |
54,098 |
54,594 |
55,987 |
58,525 |
61,765 |
|
Variance y-o-y (%) |
-3.9% |
-5.3% |
-2.4% |
-2.8% |
-0.5% |
0.9% |
2.6% |
4.5% |
5.5% |
|
Gross Voted Current |
54,179 |
52,847 |
52,149 |
50,986 |
50,501 |
50,864 |
51,775 |
53,989 |
55,941 |
|
Variance y-o-y (%) |
-2.8% |
-2.5% |
-1.3% |
-2.2% |
-1.0% |
0.7% |
1.8% |
4.3% |
3.6% |
|
Gross Voted Capital |
6,385 |
4,515 |
3,809 |
3,387 |
3,597 |
3,730 |
4,212 |
4,536 |
5,823 |
|
Variance y-o-y (%) |
-12.8% |
-29.3% |
-15.6% |
-11.1% |
6.2% |
3.7% |
12.9% |
7.7% |
28.4% |
285. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he is in receipt of email correspondence sent to him by a person (details supplied) in County Donegal regarding the issue of release day allocations for teaching principals in addition to the remuneration and workload of such post holders; when the person can expect to receive a response; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24245/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra286. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the issue of principal release days and the way they are calculated as expressed in correspondence by a school (details supplied) in County Donegal will be prioritised; if greater resources will be allocated to teachers and schools as part of budget 2019; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24246/18]
Amharc ar fhreagra440. Deputy Fergus O'Dowd asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a reply will issue to correspondence from a person (details supplied) seeking extra release days; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25718/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 285, 286 and 440 together.
Circular 0040/2018, which is available on my Department’s 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.
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 depending on the size of the school.
I recently announced an extension to the arrangements for schools with teaching principals to cluster their release days into full-time posts, with one teacher covering the release days of all the schools in the cluster. Up to 50 principal release cluster posts will be put in place for the 2018/19 school year. This measure will assist teaching principals to more effectively plan their release days for the benefit of the school.
Any additional increase in the number of release days will be considered as part of the next annual budgetary process alongside the many other demands from the education sector.
287. Deputy Tom Neville asked the Minister for Education and Skills if additional capitation funding will be provided for a school (details supplied) in County Kerry; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24263/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI recognise the need to improve capitation funding for schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years.
Restoring capitation funding as resources permit is one of the actions included in the Action Plan for Education.
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.
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.
My Department recognises the importance of the Minor Works Grant to primary schools. The National Development Plan 2018-2027 signals a gradual ramping up in capital expenditure in the schools sector over the coming years. In that context, and as part of our longer term infrastructural planning, my Department would intend to put the Minor Works Grant on an annual footing and to provide greater certainty to schools on the timing of payment.
288. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Education and Skills when he envisages extending the qualifying criteria for the payment of fees to third level education institutions for returning Irish masters and doctoral students as per the initiative announced by his predecessor on 17 March 2014; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24276/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy may be aware, in order to qualify for funding towards tuition fees, students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course.
Where undergraduate students do not qualify for free fees they are required to pay fees to the higher education institution at either an ‘EU rate’ or a higher ‘Non-EU rate’.
My Department does not provide free fees or core funding for post-graduate programmes. The announcement mentioned by the Deputy refers to undergraduate students only and therefore the criteria governing the level of tuition fees to be charged in the case of postgraduate study is solely a matter for each of the higher education institutions to determine in accordance with its own criteria as an autonomous body.
Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means.
The Deputy will be aware that additional funding of €4 million was secured in Budget 2017 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants, from September 2017, for the most disadvantaged postgraduate students. A further €3m was secured in Budget 2018.
Postgraduate students who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme for the 2018/19 academic year are eligible for a maintenance grant of up to €5,915; the income threshold for this grant is €23,500. Qualifying postgraduate students may also be eligible to have their tuition fees paid up to a maximum fee limit of €6,270.
Alternatively a postgraduate student may qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the cost of his/her fees. The income threshold for this payment is €31,500. The student grant scheme does not extend to postgraduate courses pursued outside of Ireland.
My Department also provides funding for the Student Assistance Fund (SAF). The fund is available in various publicly funded higher education institutions. The SAF provides financial assistance to students experiencing financial difficulties while attending third level. Students can be assisted towards their rent, childcare costs, transport costs and books/class materials. The SAF is open to full-time registered students on courses of not less than one year's duration leading to an undergraduate or postgraduate qualification.
Tax relief is available on postgraduate tuition fees paid and details in relation to this relief are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
It is important to recognise that in implementing the free fees scheme, and the student grant scheme, my Department needs to be conscious of the need for consistency in how individuals are treated and also of the potential financial and other policy implications arising from any specific amendments to either scheme.
289. Deputy James Browne asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has met with the Minister for Health to discuss installing defibrillators in schools here; if so, the date the meeting took place; the outcomes arising from the meeting; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24293/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe position is that under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school.
The decision to install a defibrillator is made at local school level and is a matter for the Board of Management of each individual school.
I understand that a National Steering Group on Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest was established in 2017 and is representative of health professionals, patient groups, healthcare providers and other sectors. It aims to strengthen the chain of survival for cardiac arrest. The report from the group, due in 2018, will provide advice to the HSE and the Department of Health on the most effective ways of improving survival for cardiac arrest including training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, building on the Community First Responder Programme and making public access defibrillators more easily accessible in community settings and in schools.
I will carefully consider any findings that may emerge from the work of this Group that are relevant to my Department.
290. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €29 million allocated to special needs as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24298/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe allocation referred to by the Deputy is the increase in funding for the Special Needs Assistant (SNA) Scheme in 2018.
My Department’s policy is to ensure that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such support. I secured an additional €30 million in Budget 2018 to fund the continued development of the SNA scheme with some 1,010 additional SNA posts being provided for from that funding.
The first tranche, 70 posts, were made available for allocation for the period January to June 2018. I announced last month that a further 800 SNA posts have been made available for allocation for September 2018 with an additional 140 posts expected to be allocated by the end of the year.
The Government now invests €524 million in SNAs annually, as part of a total €1.75 billion investment in special educational needs overall. There will be a total of 15,000 SNAs working in our schools, supporting over 36,000 pupils, by the end of this year.
This increased investment reflects the priority which the Government has put on helping children with special educational needs to fulfil their potential. It also reflects the growing participation of children with special educational needs in the education system and the capacity of our education system to better support their full participation and progression.
Information on the amount of the financial allocation that has been spent will not be available until the end of the current financial year.
291. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €5.5 million allocated to special education teaching posts as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24299/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraIn 2018, in the region of €1.75 billion will be invested in Special Education, nearly one fifth of the overall Education budget, and up 43% since 2011.
This funding includes provision for up to 13,400 Special Education Teaching posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools, providing additional teaching support to pupils with special educational needs, and over 1,440 special classes, with over 140 new Special Classes to open for the 2018/19 school year. This compares to 548 special classes in 2011. Almost 1400 teachers are also allocated to special schools.
An additional 900 teaching posts have been provided in the 2017/2018 school year to support the introduction of this new allocation model. The provision of an additional 900 teaching posts is a very significant investment in the provision of additional teaching support for pupils with special educational needs in our schools.
For the 2017/18 school year to date, 13,306 additional special education teaching posts have been allocated, of which 13,281 have been allocated to schools, with 25 posts having been allocated to the NCSE to develop support services for schools.
Allocations continue to be made to schools, where exceptional circumstances arise, in accordance with the review criteria set at www.ncse.ie.
The actual expenditure on special education teaching posts in 2018 will not be known until financial reporting has been completed at the end of 2018.
292. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €5 million allocated to curriculum reform as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocation that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24300/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 2018 made provision to support my Department's significant programme of curriculum reform, including the roll out of Junior Cycle Reform with Home Economics, History, Music, Geography and Mathematics commencing in September 2018.
€13 million of new and reallocated funding was provided to deliver continued implementation of Junior Cycle reform and delivery of a range of other curriculum reforms in areas such as implementation of the primary language curriculum and, at senior cycle level, politics & society, agricultural science, applied mathematics, physical education and computer science.
As funding is not allocated by my Department on a subject-by-subject basis, exact expenditure figures regarding individual subjects are not available.
Primary
The new Primary Language Curriculum (PLC) for junior infants to second class was implemented in primary schools in September 2016 with a focus on oral language. In the current school year, the focus is on reading and writing. Public consultation on the draft specification for third class to sixth class was recently completed, with a number of other consultation events held throughout the country.
The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is also currently working on the development of a new Primary Mathematics Curriculum (PMC). This work commenced in November 2014 and currently a public consultation on the draft specification from junior infants to second class is under way. As with the Primary Language Curriculum, this includes the NCCA working with a network of schools to try out aspects of the new specification.
Post-Primary
Implementation of the new Junior Cycle Framework is proceeding. Implementation commenced in September 2014 with the introduction of English, for first year students. Subjects are being introduced on a phased basis up to 2019 and are being supported by a comprehensive CPD programme for teachers. Science and Business Studies were introduced in September 2016, while Irish, Modern Languages and Visual Arts were introduced in September 2017, together with the new Wellbeing area of learning. Home Economics, History, Music, Geography and Mathematics are commencing in September 2018.
At senior cycle, delivery of CPD for schools participating in phase 2 of the new Leaving Certificate Politics and Society subject specification is underway, as well as schools participating in both Phase 1 of Leaving Certificate Computer Science and Physical Education and the Framework for Senior Cycle Physical Education.
Under my Department's Action Plan for Education 2018, a new Leaving Certificate Economics specification will be published, as well as finalised new specifications in Leaving Certificate Art, Applied Mathematics and Classical Studies.
293. Deputy Barry Cowen asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of the €4.5 million allocated to the reduction in staffing schedule at primary level as outlined in budget 2018; the amount of the allocated amount that has been spent; the way in which the funds were spent; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24301/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraBudget 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 included a one point improvement in the staffing schedule in primary schools which brings the position to the most favourable ever seen at primary level. An additional 305 posts will be added to the primary School system as a result of this. 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 and schools are currently in the process of recruiting these additional teachers.
