Sorca Clarke
Ceist:425. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs the engagement he or his party has had with the political leaders in Northern Ireland following the Assembly Elections. [24931/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraNorthern Ireland
Ceisteanna (425)
Freagraí scríofa
I remain in regular contact with the parties in Northern Ireland and with the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland following the Assembly elections. I have met with, and spoken by phone, to the leaders, on 9 and 11 May, and in the days immediately after the election. I will continue to be in contact as appropriate during the period ahead.
This election has undoubtedly brought with it significant democratic change, which will need to be navigated in the period ahead.
It is, first and foremost, a matter for the parties now, and those representatives that have been elected in good faith, to come together to establish an Executive that can deliver for all of the people of Northern Ireland on the basis of the result of the election, and in a spirit of partnership, equality and mutual respect.
The days ahead will see that process begin, and we will continue to engage with the parties and the British Government, to support the full functioning of the democratic institutions of the Good Friday Agreement. I hope, as we all do, that we will see those institutions up and running as soon as possible. I will also continue to remain in close contact with the Secretary of State, as both Governments work in partnership as co-guarantors of the Agreement, in support of power-sharing and a peaceful and prosperous future for all the people of Northern Ireland.
Information and Communications Technology
Ceisteanna (426)
Denis Naughten
Ceist:426. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Defence the protocol that is in place for the re-use of computer hardware when it is replaced or upgraded within his Department and the bodies under the aegis of his Department ; his plans to ensure that this complies with the forthcoming Circular Economy and Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2022; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24146/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
My Department has a policy of utilising its computer hardware until it is end of life. Where a situation arises that useful equipment is no longer required by my Department, consideration is given to transferring the equipment to other public bodies to maximise the economic value extracted from it. Computer hardware that has reached the end of its useful life is recycled. Data storage components of the hardware are securely destroyed. Contracts awarded by my Department for recycling/secure destruction, have been to recognised companies with a commitment to green re-cycling and holding ISO 14001 certification.
Commemorative Medals
Ceisteanna (427)
Jackie Cahill
Ceist:427. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Defence if past and present members of the Irish Defence Forces and former member of the An Fórsa Cosanta Áitiúil will receive a commemoration medal celebrating the formation of the State and each organisations contribution to the State, in the same way as that of past and present members of An Garda Síochána; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24184/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Military medals are awarded to members of the Defence Forces in line with Defence Force Regulation (DFR) A9, which sets out the qualifying criteria, delineates the procedures required for the awarding of Defence Forces Medals and sets out the various types of medal awards.
Óglaigh na hÉireann hold that its origins lie in the Irish Volunteers founded in November 1913, running forward through to the 1916 Rising, the 1919-1921 War of Independence, and the Civil War, therefore, Óglaigh na hÉireann precedes the founding of the State.
As the Deputy will be aware, the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medal was awarded to circa. 13,200 members of Óglaigh na hÉireann who served in 2016 to celebrate and commemorate the Centenary year. The medal serves to honour the legacy of continuous service by Óglaigh na hÉireann to the State since its foundation.
Currently there are no plans to amend DFR A9 in relation to the introduction of new medals and the question of issuing a medal to Defence Forces personnel to commemorate the founding of the State is not under consideration at this point in time.
Equal Opportunities Employment
Ceisteanna (428)
Holly Cairns
Ceist:428. Deputy Holly Cairns asked the Minister for Defence the way that his Department and public bodies and agencies that operate under his remit meet their obligations for reasonable accommodation under the Employment Equality Acts 1998-2015. [24302/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Employment Equality Acts oblige employers to make reasonable accommodation for people with disabilities. My Department is an equal opportunities employer and is fully committed to addressing the needs of all employees, including employees with disabilities.
To assist in fulfilling its obligations under the Act, the Department has assigned a Disability Liaison Officer (DLO). The DLO acts as a point of contact for employees within my Department with disabilities, their managers and Human Resources Branch. The DLO assists and supports employees, in confidence, and their line managers by providing necessary information, appropriate contacts, guidance and advice. My Department’s DLO is a member of the Civil Service Disability Liaison Network, which promotes and disseminates best practice in relation to the employment of people with disabilities.
My Department offers a range of flexible working opportunities to staff. Schemes such as the Shorter Working Year scheme and a variety of work-sharing patterns, are available to support staff in the achievement of a good work life balance.
My Department works with employees with a declared disability to ensure that suitable accommodations, where practicable, are in place. Examples include access to suitable ICT applications, distribution of work tasks and provision of training.
My Department has undertaken, where practicable, to promote and support the employment of people with disabilities. The Department continues to operate in a non-discriminatory environment in accordance with the Equality Acts and aims to ensure that the principles of employment equality are implemented in recruitment, promotion, training and work experience.
The only State body currently under the aegis of my Department is the Army Pensions Board which is an independent statutory body, established under the Army Pensions Act 1927 and consisting of a chairman and two ordinary members and its secretary is provided from my Department’s staff.
Recruitment to my Department is open to all applicants, and reasonable accommodation is afforded to those with a declared disability.
Defence Forces
Ceisteanna (429)
Sorca Clarke
Ceist:429. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Defence the consideration that has been given to offer shorter term contracts those in the Defence Forces who are in a position to continue to serve as they approach retirement given the retention and recruitment crisis in the forces; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [24373/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Arising from the recommendations in the report of Public Service Pay Commission on recruitment and retention in the Permanent Defence Force, a joint civil/military review of barriers to extended participation in the Permanent Defence Force was conducted.
The review considered a number of matters including mandatory retirement ages and contracts of service. The recommendations arising from the review require consideration from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, in relation to costs and pensions.
In December 2021, I secured agreement with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, which allows for an extension in service limits for Privates and Corporals, who were recruited to the Permanent Defence Force since 1 January 1994, to remain in service up to 50 years of age, subject to them meeting certain criteria including medical and fitness standards.
Currently, Sergeants recruited to the Permanent Defence Force post 1994 may remain in service up to age 50. The Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform has agreed that there shall be arrangements to facilitate the extension of service limits of Sergeants recruited to the Permanent Defence Force post 1994. Discussions are ongoing between officials in the Department of Defence and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in respect of the nature of the arrangement.
Other recommendations in the review relating to Commissioned Officers and senior Non-Commissioned Officer ranks, are being considered in the forum of an Inter-Departmental Working Group, which the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has established, to consider mandatory retirement ages and service limits for public service groups who have fast accrual pension arrangements.
Naval Service
Ceisteanna (430)
Paul Donnelly
Ceist:430. Deputy Paul Donnelly asked the Minister for Defence the current strength verses establishment of the Naval Service Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and training; and the status of the effective capability of FORST at present. [24393/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training (FORST) Section continues to be responsible for the co-ordination of the fleet's needs whilst maintaining international best practice in the delivery of Maritime Defence & Security Operations. These high standards are expected of Ireland's primary sea-going agency. This is achieved by providing guidance, training and conducting regular internal audits and inspections such as Safety and Readiness Checks & Mission Readiness Evaluation and Training inspections/programmes.
The Fleet Operational Readiness Standards and Training Unit has an establishment of 12 personnel. The current strength of the section is 10 personnel.
National Archives
Ceisteanna (431)
Cathal Crowe
Ceist:431. Deputy Cathal Crowe asked the Minister for Defence the location in which unsuccessful military pension claims relating to the 1916 Rising and the War of Independence period are now stored; and if they can be added to State digital archives. [24698/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The Military Service (1916-1923) Pensions Collection (MSPC) project is a joint Department of Defence and Defence Forces contribution to the Decade of Centenaries. The MSPC owes its origins to the decision of the Oireachtas of Saorstát Éireann in June 1923 to recognise and compensate wounded members, and the widows, children and dependents of deceased members of Óglaigh na hÉireann, including the National Forces, the Irish Volunteers, the Irish Republican Army and the Irish Citizen Army through the payment of allowances and gratuities. Over time, provision was enhanced and broadened to include members of the Hibernian Rifles, Cumann na mBan, Fianna Éireann and certain members of the Connaught Rangers. Two streams of legislation are relevant to the material in the collection:
- The Army Pensions Acts from 1923 to 1953
- The Military Service Pensions Acts, 1924, 1934 and 1949.
The MSPC project is mandated to preserve and make available the files and records of the Department of Defence dealing with the service of qualifying members of these organisations from the period April 1916 to the 30th of September 1923. This involves cataloguing and digitising in the region of 275,000 files. These files include both successful and unsuccessful pension applications relating to this period.
To date, there has been eleven releases of material under the MSPC project, the latest release was in November 2021. Since the first release of material in 2014, more than 108,000 files have been individually catalogued by the MSPC team, with over 38,000 scanned files currently fully downloadable online. All releases of records from MSPC and the online resources are hosted on the Military Archives Website (www.militaryarchives.ie).
If you wish to locate a particular file that does not appear to have been processed and feature on this website yet, you can pass on the relevant details to Executive@defence.ie. Officials in my Department will liaise with the archivists and establish the location of this file, and if possible have it included in the next release of files in 2022.
Commemorative Medals
Ceisteanna (432)
Sorca Clarke
Ceist:432. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Defence the total cost associated with the awarding of the 1916 centenary commemorative medal to include the manufacturing, distribution and ancillary costs. [24769/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
As the Deputy may be aware, medals were awarded to members of the Permanent Defence Force, members of the Army Nursing Service, members of the Chaplaincy Service and members of the Reserve Defence Force who were in service at any time during the period 1 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 inclusive.
The eligibility for this medal is outlined in the DFR “An Bonn Comórta Céad Bliain 1916”, as follows:
“ 4. (l) The Minister may award the medal to members of the Permanent Defence Force, members of the Army Nursing Service, members of the Chaplaincy Service and members of the Reserve Defence Force who are in service at any time during the period 01 January 2016 to 31 December 2016 inclusive.
(2) Members of the Defence Forces, members of the Army Nursing Service and members of the Chaplaincy Service who die in service in the year 2016 will be eligible for the award of the medal.”
I am advised by the Military Authorities that the total cost associated with the awarding of the 1916 centenary commemorative medal was €114,728.25, including VAT. This procurement involved two separate phases;
1. 12,500 of the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medals were procured in 2016, at a cost per medal of €8.94 including VAT (€111,776.25 inc VAT).
2. 200 of the 1916 Centenary Commemorative Medals were procured in 2018 at a cost per medal of €14.76 including VAT (€2,952 inc VAT).
No other ancillary costs were experienced during the award of the commemorative medal.
Information and Communications Technology
Ceisteanna (433)
Denis Naughten
Ceist:433. Deputy Denis Naughten asked the Minister for Education the protocol that is in place for the re-use of computer hardware when it is replaced or upgraded within her Department and the bodies under the aegis of her Department; her plans to ensure that this complies with the forthcoming Circular Economy and Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24146/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
IT hardware (Servers, Storage, PCs, Laptops etc.) purchased by my Department has a lifecycle of 5 years at which point it is usually replaced. The annual appropriation account circular, which is issued by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER), sets out the depreciation policy to be used by Government Departments in their annual appropriation accounts. The current depreciation policy is set out in Circular 01/2022 and states that IT equipment, hardware and software are depreciated on a straight-line basis to a nil value over 5 years.
After reaching 5 years of age, redundant information technology equipment is disposed of in accordance with DPER circular 30/03 "Depreciation and Disposal of PCs and other computer hardware". The disposal is conducted by certified recycling companies selected from an Office of Government Procurement waste framework. Where viable these firms remove the hard disks containing data and refurbish the equipment. The equipment and/or its constituent components can then be reused.
The hard disks containing data are erased in compliance with industry standards to ensure that all information is removed. This is carried out in all cases regardless of whether the equipment is being reused or recycled. The waste disposal companies are requested to provide my Department with suitable certification indicating that all items are disposed of in accordance with the current legislation. My Department will fully comply with the Circular Economy and Waste Management (Amendment) Act 2022.
Education Schemes
Ceisteanna (434)
Gerald Nash
Ceist:434. Deputy Ged Nash asked the Minister for Education her views on a policy issue raised by a person (details supplied) pertaining to the Summer Programme 2022; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24150/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
Earlier this month, the Government announced this year's Summer Programme to allow all primary and post-primary schools to offer a summer programme for students with complex special educational needs and those at greatest risk of educational disadvantage.
The programme aims are to support pupils to maintain their connection with education, to build their confidence and increase their motivation, promote wellbeing and for those who are at key transition stages, helping to ensure they continue their education journey in September either in school or in further/higher education or training.
Building on the 2021 programme, all primary and post primary schools can offer a summer programme and in line with last year’s funding, there is up to €40 million available to provide for this year’s programme. In 2021 nearly 38,000 children availed of the summer programme, an increase of 60% from the previous year.
While, it is critically important to support a summer based programme in our special schools and special classes, it is also essential to ensure that the children with complex special educational needs (SEN) who are in our mainstream settings also have access to this critical support. At the time when the ‘July Provision’ was established, the concert of learning loss during school holidays was something which may have been considered to impact only those students in special schools and special classes. As our system has become more inclusive and many of these children with more complex needs now attend mainstream settings, it is recognised that they too will be impacted by school holidays and require that additional support to ensure they achieve their potential.
A key objective of this year’s scheme is to increase the number of schools offering the summer programme to their students. Steps have been taken to afford schools as much flexibility as possible, and to ease administrative requirements. This year there is provision to recruit newly qualified teachers graduating this summer as well as undergraduate student teachers who have registered with the Teaching Council under Route 5.
To support and facilitate schools and principals with organising and running the programme, the 2022 Summer Programme allows principals to delegate these functions to other members of staff through the Overseer role and preparation hours. The Overseer and preparation roles provide an exciting personal opportunity for teachers to develop their leadership skills and experience with recognition at a whole-school level.
Enhanced measures have been put in place to encourage participation of schools. These include:
- A Centralised Application Process to reduce the administrative burden on schools.
- Provision of funding to schools towards preparation and overseeing of the programmes.
- Provision to recruit final year student teachers graduating this summer and Route 5 undergraduate student teachers.
- Guidance, information and support provided to schools to help design and deliver the programmes.
- Capitation Grant Funding provided to cover the running costs of the scheme, including enhanced capitation for special schools and classes.
This year, for the first time, there will be an online claims system for schools to submit payments details for those staff taking part in the school based summer programme. This will provide for faster and more streamlined payments to staff.
In addition, with the assistance of the National Association of Management Boards in Special Schools (NAMBSE), the Department and Inspectorate recently hosted a webinar for Special Schools and provided a presentation on the supports and benefits of running a school based summer programme. The presentation focused on the positive outcomes for students that participated in the 2021 programme.
While the number of special schools and classes taking part has risen over the last 2 years, we want to continue this growth in participation further. The Department will continue to work with all stakeholders to support parents in accessing summer provision and with schools to ensure that they have the resources and supports necessary to successfully run these programmes. Planning for the 2023 Summer Programme is due to commence shortly, this process will including consultation with Education Partners and stakeholders.
It is acknowledged that not all schools will be in a position to provide a school-based programme, so a home-based programme continues to be available for students with complex needs where the school-based programme is unavailable.
School Accommodation
Ceisteanna (435)
Richard Boyd Barrett
Ceist:435. Deputy Richard Boyd Barrett asked the Minister for Education the timeline for the completion of the purchase of a building (details supplied) in order that the school can expedite the project in order to open the ASD class in September 2022; if her Department will expedite the project; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24171/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the acquisition process is at an advanced stage for Booterstown Parish Hall. Heads of Terms have been agreed with the Vendor and draft contracts have been exchanged.
My Department is currently engaging with the school in question relating to the proposed reconfiguration of the property for educational needs, including special education needs.
Schools Building Projects
Ceisteanna (436)
Bernard Durkan
Ceist:436. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education the progress to date in ensuring a school (details supplied) will be open and fully operational for the school term 2023/2024; if she will provide clarification as to when construction is likely to commence on site; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24183/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme which uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction.
It is intended that the project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be included in the next bundle of projects to proceed to tender later this year. It is anticipated that the project will commence on site in early 2023 and will take 70 weeks to complete once construction starts.
My Department continues to liaise with the school's patron body in relation to the school’s interim accommodation needs. It is intended that the school will move to suitable interim accommodation on the permanent site for the 2023/24 school year, pending delivery of the permanent accommodation for the school.
School Accommodation
Ceisteanna (437, 438)
Emer Higgins
Ceist:437. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if the lease for the land at a location (details supplied) and used at the moment for classrooms, will be extended from February 2023 to accommodate the completion of the new school building; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [24205/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEmer Higgins
Ceist:438. Deputy Emer Higgins asked the Minister for Education if there are plans to use a location (details supplied) which is owned by her Department to extend the sports and play facilities in the school given that the land in question contains an attenuation tank and cannot be developed but would provide a very valuable amenity to the school in terms of additional space. [24206/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraFreagraí scríofa
I propose to take Questions Nos. 437 and 438 together.
The permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being delivered under my Department’s Design and Build Programme which uses a professional external Project Management team to progress the project through the stages of architectural planning, tendering and construction.
The project when complete will deliver a new 16 classroom school, including a multi-purpose hall, roof-top play area, 2 classrooms for children with special educational needs, associated staff car park, ball court and ancillary accommodation.
The project for the new school is currently under construction with Phase One due for completion in July 2022 and the completed school due for completion in Quarter 1 2023.
The land referred to by the Deputy opposite the school site is not in my Department's ownership and it is not possible to extend the agreement for use of the land in question.
The strip of land containing an attenuation tank referred to by the Deputy is in my Department's ownership and it is intended that this area will be made accessible by the school following completion of the project.