Written Answers Nos. 1-47
38. Deputy Pearse Doherty asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether the new procurement model being employed by SOLAS with regard to training is leading to a reduction in value and quality in training available to persons; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2549/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe establishment of the Education and Training Boards, the dissolution of FÁS and the establishment of SOLAS in 2013 has led to major changes in the co-ordination, funding and delivery of further education and training provision. This includes changes in the operation of contracted training where ETBs engage the services of third party providers to deliver some of their education and training provision. These services were formerly contracted by Training Centres under the remit of FÁS.
A review of the contracted training model was undertaken by SOLAS in 2016 which included a number of recommendations to ensure contracted training was flexible, innovative and responsive. Following this review, the Office of Government Procurement on behalf of the ETBs invited expressions of interest from suitably qualified service providers for the provision of contracted training services for which it was proposed to establish multi supplier frameworks. This competition was completed in January 2018. Each ETB is a contracting authority in respect of the services it engages.
I can confirm that a detailed analysis on the value and quality of the provision will be undertaken once a full year's data is available. SOLAS have at this stage engaged with the ETBs in collating information in relation to contracted training in order to compare with previous years.
39. Deputy Bobby Aylward asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to review the school transport system, in particular the system for the allocation of concessionary tickets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2726/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department.
There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually.
The purpose of the 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 eligible for school transport if they satisfy the distance criteria, are attending their nearest school and it is economically feasible to provide a service.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who have completed the application process on time have been accommodated on school transport services for the current school year where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible for school transport may be facilitated where spare seats are available after eligible children have been accommodated - these are often referred to as concessionary places. Where the number of ineligible children exceeds the number of spare seats available Bus Éireann allocates tickets for the spare seats on the basis of an agreed selection process.
The terms of the scheme (which are regularly communicated) make it clear that places for ineligible children are not guaranteed for the duration of a child's education.
Under the terms of the scheme, routes will not be extended or altered, additional vehicles will not be introduced, nor will larger vehicles or extra trips using existing vehicles be provided to cater for ineligible children. Making exceptions to this would effectively create an open ended scheme with unquantified exposure to the exchequer and the taxpayer for the resulting cost. The terms of the scheme are applied equitably on a national basis.
I am keeping the matter of concessionary transport under review, taking account of available resources and the need to ensure value for money within the scheme.
40. Deputy Eamon Ryan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the request for the State to monitor and quantify the practice of reduced timetables in which children with behavioural difficulties have restricted hours in their education service. [52602/18]
Amharc ar fhreagraI thank the Deputy for raising this issue.
Each child has a right to education to enable them to live a full life as a child and to realise his or her potential as a unique individual. All pupils who are enrolled in a school should attend school for the full day, unless exempted from doing so for exceptional circumstances, such as medical reasons.
Reduced timetables should not be used as a behavioural management technique, or as a de facto suspension or expulsion.
Where schools apply a shorter school day in relation to a child, such arrangements should only be put in place in exceptional circumstances in order to assist a pupil to return to a school, where a pupil has been experiencing an absence due to a medical or behavioural related condition.
Any such arrangement should be a transitionary arrangement, which is designed to assist the reintegration of a pupil to a school environment.
In making any such arrangements, school authorities should be mindful of the best interests of the child and of the child's right to a full day in school. Schools should seek the advice of the National Educational Psychological Service before implementing such arrangements.
My Department is engaging with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs and TUSLA Educational Welfare Service on the matter of reduced timetables with a view to examining options which can be taken to address the issues raised.
41. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of a school (details supplied); and the actions that will be taken to progress the new building for the school. [2550/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraA building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is included in my Department’s 6 year Construction Programme.
A project brief has been finalised and the project will be delivered via the ADAPT programme. The ADAPT programme uses a professional external Project Manager to coordinate and drive the respective design teams on each project.
In this regard, a tender competition is in train to establish a Project Manager framework which is expected to be in place by early March. The formulation of tender documentation is underway and once the framework has been established a tender exercise will be carried out to appoint a Project Manager for all projects under the ADAPT programme, including this particular project.
All schools with projects on the ADAPT programme will be contacted shortly by my Department to provide an update on the status of their respective project. I wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department is committed to providing the necessary accommodation for the school in question.
42. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills the work the education and training boards undertake in reskilling and further education of the adult population; the way in which this co-ordinates with the work of the Department of Employment Affairs and Social Protection; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2730/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraEducation and Training Boards offer a broad range of courses serving 320,000 learners each year. These courses seek to develop skills for the economy, to facilitate greater participation in society and to promote personal development.
This Government has a major focus on upskilling and reskilling the working age population. During the recession the focus was mainly on supporting unemployed people back into employment but the approach is now much broader, encompassing those already in employment and those not currently participating in the labour market. This is supported by an expanded and reformed National Training Fund. This year, ETBs are being allocated an additional €11million in funding for the new Skills to Advance policy, which delivers upskilling and reskilling to those in employment with lower skill levels.
ETB courses complement broader upskilling programmes and initiatives, such as Skillnets and Springboard, that play a crucial role in meeting the future skills needs of the economy. ETBs also participate strongly in the nine Regional Skills Fora, enabling them to deliver tailored solutions for employers and groups of employers and give enhanced employment opportunities to learners and upskill the regional workforce.
ETB programmes, alongside employment programmes delivered by DEASP, aim to assist unemployed people into work. ETBs and the Intreo offices work closely together at local level to develop and schedule FET provision to match the requirements of unemployed people. This collaboration is supported by protocols covering course provision, the referral of learners to programmes and a formal schedule of engagements between the agencies.
43. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills the progress in relation to the action plan to expand apprenticeships and traineeships here; the number of apprenticeships that have been started to date under the plan; the gender distribution in this regard; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2762/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan to Expand Apprenticeship and Traineeship 2016-2020 sets out a series of actions and annual targets to grow apprenticeship provision. The Plan targets 31,000 learner registrations on apprenticeship programmes over its lifetime. This represents a more than doubling of activity over the plan period.
This growth will be achieved through expanding employer engagement with existing craft apprenticeships and by expanding the apprenticeship model into new areas. Following two calls for proposals issued by the Apprenticeship Council, nineteen new consortia led apprenticeship programmes have been developed. These new programmes span a variety of sectors ranging from financial services and ICT to hospitality. Further new apprenticeships are due to get underway in 2019 in various sectors including construction, engineering and agriculture.
This expansion of the apprenticeship system has led to a welcome increase in female participation. Year on year we are seeing greater numbers of women choosing an apprenticeship for their career path. Many of our new apprenticeships are in occupations that have greater gender balance in the workplace such as hospitality and accountancy. At the end of 2018 there were 341 female apprentices registered, more than double the 2017 figure of 151.
As well as developments in new apprenticeships, as the employment and economic situation continues to improve, we have seen strong growth in registrations across the craft trades nationally during 2018 with 5,058 new registrations by year end, ahead of target and an increase 12% on 2017.
44. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position with regard to the restoration of post-graduate grants; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2724/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for Government contains a commitment to increase financial supports for postgraduate students with a particular focus on those from low income households.
In response to this commitment, additional funding of €7m was secured in Budgets 2017 and 2018 to facilitate the reinstatement of full maintenance grants from September 2017 for the most disadvantaged postgraduate students. This benefitted circa 1,000 postgraduate students who met the eligibility criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant for the 2017/18 academic year and reversed the previous budgetary cut.
In addition, postgraduate students who qualify for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their post graduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270.
Alternatively, a postgraduate student may qualify to have a €2,000 contribution made towards the cost of fees. The income threshold for this payment is €31,500 for the 2018/19 academic year, increasing relative to the number of family dependents.
Students in third-level institutions experiencing exceptional financial need can apply for support under the Student Assistance Fund through the Access Office in the third level institution attended. An additional €1m was added to the Fund in 2017 which is specifically ring-fenced for part-time students who are lone-parents or members of the other access target groups. Prior to that the fund supported full-time students only. A further allocation of €1m for the Fund was recently announced. This additional funding will be aimed at students studying a Professional Master of Education programme in the 2018/19 academic year and who are experiencing financial difficulty. A total of €10.1m has now been allocated through the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) in 2018/2019.
Tax relief is also available for postgraduate tuition fees. Details in relation to same are available from the Revenue Commissioners.
45. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the actions taken to date to address errors in the estimated number of teachers retiring or leaving the system each year; the subsequent cost incurred; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2720/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraFor the purposes of the annual Estimates process, my Department makes forecasts, based on trend analysis, of the scale of teacher retirements expected for the following year.
While forecasting retirements in the education sector is complex, this approach has proved robust and has provided a good indication of the scale of likely retirements and the expenditure implications for the following year.
The need for supplementary estimates over the period 2014 to 2018 to cover additional pension costs did not arise due to errors in forecasting.
Prior to Budget 2019, and aside from allocations to cover pay agreements, there had been no significant increase in the expenditure base for pensions for a number of years, despite increased costs. Given that this expenditure is demand-driven and non-discretionary, it was therefore necessary to seek supplementary estimates to provide for retirements and pension costs over and above what would be supported by the original allocation, having regard to offsetting savings which arose in other expenditure areas.
This is an issue which has affected other Votes, as highlighted in last year's Spending Review on pensions expenditure in the Defence Forces.
My Department, and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, have worked closely to resolve this issue in order to better align the expenditure allocation with the expected pensions and retirements bill. In Budget 2019, the Government allocated an additional €147 million in funding for pensions in the education sector, in addition to €12.5 million to cover the pensions-related costs of the Public Service Stability Agreement. This was calculated on the basis of actuarial work undertaken by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform using data provided by my Department. Unlike in previous years, where the supplementary estimates did not increase the expenditure base, this additional €147 million will be added to the base and will bring the pensions allocation in my Department to around €1.35 billion in 2019. This compares to a pre-supplementary allocation of c. €1.19 billion in 2018. This should mitigate the need for a supplementary estimate for pensions expenditure in 2019.
46. Deputy Mick Wallace asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures being taken to raise awareness and promote uptake of apprenticeship opportunities among school leavers particularly in view of the fact that only 3% of school leavers here take up apprenticeships as opposed to 60% in Germany; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2763/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraIt is important that learners and workers consider their options in an informed way throughout their education and working lives. The wide range of opportunities offered through the apprenticeship system should be an important part of this process.
This Government is committed to expanding the apprenticeship model into new sectors of the economy to give more choice to learners and to deliver key skills to employers. Government is working to promote apprenticeship as a programme of choice and have put significant additional resources into this area. A national promotional campaign, Generation Apprenticeship, has been underway since May 2017, led by the Apprenticeship Council and SOLAS.
In addition, an independent review of career guidance, which is being carried out by Indecon International Consultants, is examining the quality and range of information and resources available to students in schools and other settings. This will include an examination of how apprenticeship opportunities are presented to students.
In addition, work is also underway on a new portal to increase the visibility of apprenticeship opportunities. The portal will allow approved employers to advertise apprenticeships and to match with prospective apprentices. The new portal is expected to be rolled out in 2019 on completion of a pilot phase.
47. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív den Aire Oideachais agus Scileanna cén fáth nach bhfuil an deontas do scoileanna lán-Ghaeilge á íoc le scoileanna atá faoi chúram na gCoistí Oideachais agus Oiliúna, na bPobalscoileanna agus na Scoileanna Cuimsitheacha; agus an ndéanfaidh sé ráiteas ina thaobh. [2634/19]
Amharc ar fhreagraSna socruithe cistiúcháin atá déanta ag an Roinn le haghaidh meánscoileanna deonacha, scoileanna cuimsitheacha agus pobail agus le haghaidh scoileanna agus coláistí na mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna (BOO) léirítear na socruithe éagsúla bainistíochta agus úinéireachta a bhaineann le scoileanna an dara leibhéil.
Maoinítear meánscoileanna deonacha i scéim an tSaoroideachais, atá faoi úinéireacht agus bhainistíocht phríobháideach, trí dheontais per capita. Íoctar deontas per capita breise le scoileanna in earnáil na meánscoileanna deonacha ina múintear trí Ghaeilge go hiomlán nó i bpáirt. Ní hé seo an modh maoinithe áfach, a bhaineann le hearnálacha na scoileanna Pobail agus Cuimsitheacha ná le scoileanna na mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna. I gcás na hEarnála Pobail agus Cuimsithí cuireann an Roinn maoiniú ar fáil ar bhonn buiséid atá bunaithe go príomha ar líon na scoláirí. Lena chois sin glactar san áireamh fachtóirí breise a athraíonn ó scoil go chéile, fachtóirí ar nós bail na bhfoirgneamh, méid na scoile srl.
Déantar leithdháiltí ar na BOO ar bhonn buiséid i ndáil le costais ardoifige agus costais eile lena n-áirítear iad siúd a bhaineann le scoileanna. Tugtar a lán neamhspleáchas do Bhoird Oideachais agus Oiliúna maidir le bainistiú agus leithreasú a gcuid buiséad agus tá cead ag gach BOO a chuid leithdháiltí a dháileadh amach de réir na dtosaíochtaí atá aige agus de réir a chuid riachtanas. Ní mór saincheisteanna maidir le maoiniú i dtaobh scoile ar leith a bhainistiú ó bhuiséad an Bhoid Oideachais agus Oiliúna lena mbaineann. Ní chuireann an Roinn leithdháiltí maoinithe ar leataobh do scoileanna aonair in earnáil na mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna.
Tuigeann an Teachtaire Dála áfach go bhfuil tuilleadh feabhsuithe fógartha i mBuiséad 2019 sa mhéid go gcuirfear maoiniú caipitlíocha méadaithe ar fáil don earnáil scoile i gcomhair na scoilbhliana 2019/20 agus sna buiséid neamh-íoc san in earnáil na mBord Oideachais agus Oiliúna.
