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Friday, 6 Sep 2019

Written Answers Nos. 297-321

School Staff

Ceisteanna (297, 300, 301)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

297. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to reverse staffing cuts to small schools with less than 86 pupils to 2011/2012 levels. [35217/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

300. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of additional teaching positions which would be required in primary schools to restore the appointment figures for the third and fourth mainstream teacher to the level they were at in 2010, that is, 49 and 81. [35220/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

301. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools which had a teaching staff of one, two or three teachers in 2010 and which have since closed following the increase in the appointment figures. [35221/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 297, 300 and 301 together.

Since 2015, measures have been introduced to improve the staffing of small schools which has seen improvements in the appointment and retention thresholds for the 2nd, 3rd and 4th classroom teacher and more favourable enrolment thresholds for one teacher schools situated 8km or more from the nearest school of the same type of patronage and/or language of instruction.

Small schools have also benefitted from the 1 point improvement to the primary staffing schedule for all schools implemented in 2016 and again in 2018.  The staffing schedule at primary level currently operates on a general average of 26 pupils to every 1 teacher which is historically the lowest ever allocation ratio at primary level.

In addition, the staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria, including a specific appeal measure for small schools, to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board.

The decision making authority for a school closure belongs to the Patron of a school, and this is subject to the agreement of my Department. Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the relevant stakeholders, parents, teachers, students and local communities and follow decisions taken at local level. The Programme for Partnership Government contains a commitment that no small school will close without the consent of parents.  The information is not available in the manner requested by the Deputy.

The estimated cost of restoring the staffing schedule for small schools to pre-2012 levels would be €3.6 million per annum, approximately 75 posts..

School Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (298)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

298. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to provide additional classroom accommodation in order to reduce primary school class sizes per each point reduction. [35218/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I wish to advise the Deputy that Budget 2019 marks the third year of a major reinvestment in education.  In 2019, the budget for the Department of Education and Skills will increase by €674 million, a 6.7% increase on last year.  In total, the Education budget will have increased by €1.7 billion compared to 2016.

For the current school year, the staffing schedule at Primary level operates on a general average of 26 pupils to every 1 teacher (26:1), which is historically the lowest ever allocation ratio at primary level. 

Each 1 point adjustment to the primary staffing schedule creates an approximate 300 additional mainstream posts.  It should be noted that such an adjustment may not warrant provision of additional accommodation across all primary schools as some schools may have capacity within their existing buildings to cater for staff increases.  However, where additional accommodation is needed the costs associated with providing permanent accommodation will vary depending on a range of factors including the extent of the accommodation to be provided, linking new permanent accommodation with existing facilities, site topography, geographical location of schools and costs associated with complying with statutory requirements.

Teachers' Remuneration

Ceisteanna (299)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

299. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year net saving of using newly qualified teachers for substitution duties rather than retired teachers. [35219/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I understand that there is no net saving involved in using newly qualified teachers for substitution work rather than retired teachers.  Both newly qualified teachers and retired teachers who return to work in a substitute capacity are paid the same rate of pay for substitute work.

The salary scales and the substitution payment rates applicable to qualified and unqualified teachers are set out in Departmental Circular 51/2018. This Circular is available on my Department’s website at

https://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0022_2019.pdf

Circular 31/2011 issued by my Department requires school management authorities to give priority to qualified registered teachers rather than retired teachers in relation to substitution work.

Questions Nos. 300 and 301 answered with Question No. 297.

School Staff

Ceisteanna (302)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

302. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary schools which have teacher numbers (details supplied). [35222/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The information requested by the Deputy is in the following table.

The data given refers to class teachers only.

No. of Teachers

Sum of Totals

1-7

1932

8-11

553

12-13

137

14-16

242

17-19

108

20-23

57

24-26

49

27-30

15

31-35

10

36

1

37+

2

Grand Total

3106

Special Educational Needs Staff Data

Ceisteanna (303)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

303. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNAs employed for the 2018/2019 school year; and the projected number of SNAs to be employed for the 2019/2020 school year. [35225/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

At the end of the 2018/19 school year there were approximately 15,030 SNA posts allocated to schools. I announced on 27th May that 792 additional SNA posts will be allocated to schools for the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, with almost 130 additional posts expected to be allocated by December 2019.

By the end of this year, there will be up to 15,950 SNAs working in our schools, an increase of over 51% since 2011.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.  

The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.  

In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils, the NCSE take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources.

SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.

The NCSE publish statistics on SNA allocations for each school year and this information is available on their website, www.ncse.ie.

Special Educational Needs Staff Data

Ceisteanna (304)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

304. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of the approximately 950 increased additional special needs assistants, SNAs, announced in budget 2019 that were employed for the period of 2018/2019. [35226/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Approximately 30 posts were allocated from the Budget 2019 provision for January to June of the 2018/19 school year. I announced on 27th May that 792 additional SNA posts will be allocated to schools for the beginning of the 2019/20 school year, with almost 130 additional posts expected to be allocated by December 2019.

By the end of this year, there will be up to 15,950 SNAs working in our schools, an increase of over 51% since 2011.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.  

The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.  

In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils, the NCSE take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources.

SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.

The NCSE publish statistics on SNA allocations for each school year and this information is available on their website, www.ncse.ie.

Special Educational Needs Data

Ceisteanna (305, 307)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

305. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have appealed their SNA allocation for 2019/2020 by county in tabular form. [35227/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

307. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools that have appealed their SNA allocation for 2019/2020 by county in tabular form. [35229/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 305 and 307 together.

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. The NCSE is also responsible for managing the appeals process.

As the matter to which the Deputy refers is a matter for the NCSE, I have referred the question to the agency for their direct reply.

Special Educational Needs Data

Ceisteanna (306)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

306. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of SNA hours applied for and or sought by each county for the 2019/2020 school term in tabular form. [35228/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school.  

The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in Department Circular 0030/2014, which is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie, in order that students who have care needs can access SNA support as and when it is needed.  

In considering applications for SNA support for individual pupils, the NCSE take account of the pupils' needs and consider the resources available to the school to identify whether additionality is needed or whether the school might reasonably be expected to meet the needs of the pupils from its current level of resources.

SNA allocations to all schools can change from year to year as children with care needs leave the school, as new children with care needs enrol in a school and as children develop more independent living skills and their care needs diminish over time.

The NCSE publish the allocations for individual schools for each school year and this information is available on their website, www.ncse.ie. 

Question No. 307 answered with Question No. 305.
Questions Nos. 308 and 309 answered with Question No. 252.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Ceisteanna (310)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

310. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has used the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018 to force a school to open an autism spectrum disorder, ASD, class in an area in which need has been identified; if not, the reason for not using the powers contained in the Act; his plans to commence using the Act in the immediate future; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35232/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Ensuring that every child has a suitable placement available to them is a key priority for me and the Government.

I am deeply conscious of the stress and anxiety facing parents and their children where difficulties are encountered in securing a school place.

As Minister I have a power under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 to direct a school to provide additional provision where all reasonable efforts have failed. 

The legislation provides for a very transparent series of steps which can ultimately lead to the issuing of a legally binding direction to a board of management. 

The initial step in the process is for the NCSE to inform the Minister there is a shortage of places in a particular area. 

The legislation was formally activated for the first time on April 18th following a report from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) outlining insufficient special school and special class capacity in Dublin 15.

The specific provision required was 8 additional primary ASD primary special classes and 40 special school places for students with complex needs.

There has been very intensive engagement between the NCSE, the Department and patron bodies and schools to address this issue.

To date, this has resulted in the establishing of the new Danu Community Special School in Dublin 15, under the patronage of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB catering for up to 40 students.

In addition, 4 ASD special classes have also been approved in mainstream primary schools the Dublin 15 area leaving a total of 4 classes still required

On 23 August, my Department issued a second statutory notice to six schools and their patron in the Dublin 15 area setting out the need to make more places available for children with special educational needs.

The notice confirms my opinion that the schools should make additional education provision available and outlines the steps to be taken, together with information on the supports available.

The schools and the patron have 14 days in which to make representations on foot of this notice.

 The notice follows a series of steps that have been followed under strict rules set down under Section 37A of the Education Act 1998 (as inserted by Section 8 of the Education (Admission to Schools) Act 2018).

- April 18th - The legislation was formally activated following a report from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) outlining insufficient special school and special class capacity in Dublin 15.

- April 30th - I appealed to schools and patrons to make more provision for children with special education for September 2019.

- May 27th - I wrote to the principals and chairpersons of boards of management in 22 schools in Dublin 15 requesting that they give serious consideration to the need for more special education provision.

- May 28th - The establishment of the new Danu Community Special School, under the patronage of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire ETB, was confirmed, with places for 40 children with special needs for the 2019/20 school year.

- June 27th - The Department served statutory notices under Section 37A (5) on 18 schools and 2 patrons in Dublin 15. These notices communicated my opinion that they should make additional provision for children with special educational needs.

- 30 July & 1 August – Consultations on the need for additional special education provision took place with two patron bodies.

- August 7th - Technical teams began site visits, with 10 schools initially, to carry out first-hand assessments of the accommodation available and consider its suitability for additional provision of special classes.

- August 23rd – Second legal notice served under Section 37A on 6 schools in Dublin 15, one of which has since agreed to establish a special class. 

I would of course prefer to see children welcomed into a school without the need for legal compulsion.

However I am determined to do my utmost to ensure every child is allocated a school place, including using the provisions of the Education Act to direct schools to make additional provision.

Teacher Training Provision

Ceisteanna (311)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

311. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to work collaboratively with the Teaching Council to review the national third-level teacher training curriculum to improve the level of training for teachers at third-level in order that all qualified teachers feel competent and are sufficiently supported in teaching children with additional needs in mainstream settings in view of the acute rise in the number of school age children being diagnosed as autistic; and his plans to create new pathways for special needs assistants that would like to upskill to the level of special education teachers. [35233/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession including the registration of teachers in Ireland.

The Teaching Council's (Registration) Regulations 2016 set out the requirements to be registered as a teacher in Ireland. Under these regulations there are four defined routes to registration, namely Route 1 Primary; Route 2 Post-Primary; Route 3 Further Education; Route 4 Other.

My Department has no plans to amend the Teaching Council's (Registration) Regulations 2016 to include a special education teacher category.

Inclusive education is mandatory in all initial teacher education programmes in Ireland. Under Section 38 of the Teaching Council Act, all initial teacher education programmes are subject to review and accreditation by the Teaching Council, in accordance with the Criteria and Guidelines for Programme Providers (published in 2011 and revised in March 2017). In accordance with these Criteria and Guidelines, inclusive education is a mandatory component for all students in ITE. Inclusive education encompasses education of children with special educational needs, including autism.

The learning outcomes of ITE programmes also reflect the need for the teacher to be able to conduct a systematic, holistic assessment of learner needs; to apply knowledge of the individual potential of students, their disposition towards learning and their backgrounds, identities and learning styles to their teaching; to set clear, challenging and achievable expectations for pupils; to evaluate learner progress; to act as an advocate for students, referring students for educational support as required and participating in the provision of that support, amongst other relevant outcomes. 

The Teaching Council is currently carrying out a review of the impact of the current programmes, with a view to amending the Criteria and Guidelines before the next round of accreditation commences in 2020.

The National Council for Special Education report published on Initial Teacher Education for Inclusion: Phase 1 and 2 (NCSE Research Report No. 26), found that there is in general much good practice related to inclusive education in ITE, particularly in relation to the fostering of positive attitudes to inclusion, while also noting scope for further alignment between theory and practice, in particular as between student placement and the university experience. These findings are being considered by the Teaching Council in the course of its review, outlined above.

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Ceisteanna (312)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

312. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to restore the 15% cut in resource hours teaching; and the estimated cost to increase the national educational psychological service, NEPS, by 25%. [35234/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

From September 2017, a new model for allocating special education teachers was introduced. This model allocates special education teachers to schools based on the profiled needs of schools, as opposed to the assessed needs of individual children.  

The revised allocation process replaced the generalised allocation process at primary and post primary school level for learning support and high incidence special educational needs, and the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) allocation process which provided additional resource teaching supports to schools, to support pupils assessed as having Low Incidence disabilities.

The previous system which provides allocations of resource teaching support for individual pupils in particular disability categories, guided by the Report of the Special Education Review Committee (SERC Report), therefore no longer applies. 

  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.

1,000 additional special education teachers have been provided for schools since 2017, while the total number of special education teachers has increased by 37% since 2011, from 9,740 in 2011, to over 13,400 at present.

Adding an additional 15% to the current level of provision of 13,400 posts, would require the addition of some 2000 extra special education teachers, at an approximate cost of €120 Million per year.

My Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments. (SCPA).

Following on from an increase allowed in the 2018 Budget that the sanctioned number for NEPS psychologist stands at 194 whole-time equivalents of which some 187 w.t.e. posts are currently filled with 7 posts vacant due to on-going retirements and resignations, etc. within the Service.  Even at this current level this represents the highest number of psychologists to be employed within NEPS since the inception of the service in 2000.

Additionally the Deputy may be aware that under the provisions of Budget 2019 I was pleased to announce that NEPS psychologist numbers will expand by a further 10 posts from the start of the new academic year bringing the overall approved psychologist numbers to 204 w.t.e .

I can inform the Deputy that a national recruitment competition is currently in operation by the Public Appointments Service in conjunction with my Department to replenish NEPS Regional Recruitment Panels to allow for both the filling of the above-mentioned vacancies and the expansion of NEPS number by a further 10 posts from September.

In answer to the Deputies specific question I can inform that NEPS 2019 budget stands at €20.756m and therefore a straight 25% increase would amount to an additional €5.2m.  An increase of 25% on the existing NEPS psychologist staff complement would add approximately 50 posts. The average direct pay and non-pay cost per annum of engaging an individual Educational Psychologist is €75,000 per annum. The estimated annual additional cost, therefore, of employing the following numbers would be €3.75m

National Educational Psychological Service Administration

Ceisteanna (313)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

313. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to provide administrative support for each national educational psychological service, NEPS, psychologist. [35235/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

As the Deputy may be aware my Department’s National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychological support to all primary and post-primary schools. This involves direct support in the event of a critical incident, access to national and regional support and development work to build school capacity to support students, access to a NEPS psychologist for responses to queries arising, and access to individual pupil casework via a NEPS psychologist or through the Scheme for the Commissioning of Psychological Assessments. (SCPA).

NEPS is organised on a regional basis with 23 offices and currently with some 187 w.t.e. psychologist staff. It has a Head Office administrative Unit sited within my Department in Dublin.  Direct administrative support is afforded to psychologists within NEPS at a local and national level, within this structure, by some 29 w.t.e. administrative staff.

Ancillary administrative support is provided to NEPS staff by services units within my Department, along with the generality of other departmental staff from, for example, the HR Unit, Finance Unit, etc..

I can inform the Deputy that the NEPS administrative staff budget currently amounts to approximately €1.3m per annum. The unit cost per psychologist of this direct administrative support is therefore some €6,952 per annum.

Home School Community Liaison Scheme

Ceisteanna (314)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

314. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost to restore rural co-ordinator service under the home school liaison service. [35237/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

The DEIS Rural Coordination Service was discontinued with effect from 31 August 2011.  At that time there were 46 Rural Coordinator Posts at a cost of €2,714,000.

Currently, all DEIS Urban Primary and DEIS Post Primary schools are included in the Home School Community Liaison (HSCL) Scheme, which serves 533 schools. The scheme is delivered by 415 full-time HSCL Coordinators who are teachers in these schools and assigned to HSCL duties either in individual schools or clusters of schools, catering for approximately 156,000 pupils. 

 In addition, and responding to specific actions in the National Traveller and Roma Inclusion

Strategy  (NTRIS) and DEIS Plan 2017,  my Department has committed to the assignment of 4 HSCLs,  as part of a 2 Year Pilot Programme commencing in the 2019/20 school year in 4 areas to target attendance, participation and retention/school completion for Traveller and Roma pupils.

 The impact of socioeconomic factors on educational outcomes can be different between urban and rural settings and the HSCL scheme takes account of that. While urban and rural disadvantage share many characteristics, such as poverty, unemployment and poor housing conditions, the evidence suggests that disadvantage in a rural context does not have the same impact on educational performance compared to urban schools.

My Department's objective in implementing DEIS Plan 2017 is to have the maximum possible impact on providing opportunities for students most at risk of disadvantage.  To achieve this, additional resources must be targeted as closely as possible at those students with the greatest need in terms of concentrated levels of disadvantage.  

The Deputy may wish to note that Rural DEIS primary schools continue to be supported through the DEIS programme with a range of additional supports, including grant aid in the form of a DEIS grant, enhanced book grant, access to the DEASP School Meals Programme and priority access for teachers to a range of professional development programmes as well as the Incredible Years and Friends programmes.

School Equipment

Ceisteanna (315)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

315. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of increasing the school books grant by 30%. [35239/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

My Department provides a book grant to all recognised primary and post primary schools within the Free Education Scheme in order to provide assistance for books including Book Rental Schemes.

Under this scheme, the Department provided funding of €16.9 million in 2019 to all of these schools. 

It is a matter for the Board of Management of each individual school to decide on its own policy in relation to the use of this funding in the school but they are expected to adopt a cost-conscious approach to the selection of books for use in their classes. The current arrangement relies on the local knowledge of the school in order to ensure a fair allocation of funds to those most in need.  The arrangements in relation to this scheme are set out in Circular 0046/2013 which is published on the Department's website at

http://www.education.ie/en/Circulars-and-Forms/Active-Circulars/cl0046_2013.pdf

The estimated cost of a 30% increase in the book grant for primary and post-primary schools is circa €5.1m.

Schools Building Projects Status

Ceisteanna (316)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

316. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the schools which are waiting on capital funding for future school build works or the completion of ongoing school build works by county; and the length of time each school has been waiting for the full amount of capital funding granted in tabular form. [35241/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Under project Ireland 2040, my Department continues to make progress to increase the infrastructural capacity in the schools sector, in order to meet demographic and other demands.

The Capital Programme details the school projects that are being progressed under project Ireland 2040. I wish to advise the Deputy that the current status of large-scale projects being delivered under project Ireland 2040 may be viewed on my Department's website, www.education.ie and this information is updated regularly. In addition, a list of large-scale projects completed from 2010 to date may also be viewed on the website.   

The Capital Programme also provides for devolved funding for additional classrooms, if required, for schools where an immediate enrolment need has been identified or where an additional teacher has been appointed. Details of schools listed on this programme can be found on my Department's website www.education.ie and this information is also updated regularly.

School Enrolments Data

Ceisteanna (317)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

317. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of students at primary and post primary level enrolled for the school year 2019/2020. [35242/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

Enrolments for 2019/20 are not yet available, below are projected enrolments for 2019/20.

Actual enrolment figures will be available in January 2020. 

The projected enrolment figures for September 2019 are:

Primary Level - 566,220

Post-Primary Level - 369,673

Projections are published by the Department in the report titled ‘Projections of Full-Time Enrolment Primary and Second level, 2018-2036’.

These reports can be found on the Department of Education website at  https://www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/projections/ 

* Figures at primary level figures include both mainstream and special schools.

School Accommodation Provision

Ceisteanna (318, 319)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

318. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated full year net saving of replacing all rented prefabs with permanent accommodation assuming the cost of providing same is already accounted for. [35243/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

319. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the estimated cost of replacing 100 prefab units with permanent accommodation. [35244/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 318 and 319 together.

My Department is taking an integrated approach with the Prefab Replacement Programme through the replacement of prefabs as part of large-scale and devolved projects or as part of new projects approved under the Additional Accommodation Scheme. This integrated approach helps to streamline the delivery of projects for schools.

In terms of progress being made on replacing temporary accommodation, since mid-2018 all schools approved for additional accommodation under my Department's Additional School Accommodation Scheme are also having necessary prefabs replaced as part of their additional accommodation project. To date approval has been granted to replace in excess of 200 prefabs with permanent accommodation and this number will continue to increase as further additional accommodation projects are approved.

I wish to advise the Deputy that Devolved projects, including those with prefab replacement approvals, are subject to procurement. Therefore, it is not possible to provide the cost of replacing prefabs in isolation as each individual projects will vary according to site issues, size of project etc.

Third Level Data

Ceisteanna (320, 321)

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

320. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of third-level students registered in universities for 2018/2019. [35245/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire

Ceist:

321. Deputy Donnchadh Ó Laoghaire asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of third-level students registered with institutes of technology for 2018/2019. [35246/19]

Amharc ar fhreagra

Freagraí scríofa

I propose to take Questions Nos. 320 and 321 together.

Data relating to the number of third-level students registered for 2018/2019 is currently being collated by the HEA and will be transmitted to the Deputy in due course.

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