Written Answers Nos. 560-573
560. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if she will give consideration to the extension of deferred sitting of exams in future for those who suffer an episode during an exam (details supplied). [32182/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations.
In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to the Deputy.
561. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Education further to Parliamentary Question No. 377 of 31 May 2022, the amount that was paid to each barrister in actions in which she is a named party in 2019, 2020, 2021 and to date in 2022, in tabular form. [32252/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can advise the Deputy that the legal costs incurred by the State's legal team in defending cases in which I am named as a party are not met directly by my Department. In accordance with established financial procedures such costs are generally charged to the Chief State Solicitors Office (CSSO) Vote as sanctioned by the Attorney General (AG).
Accordingly my Department does not hold the information sought by the Deputy in relation to the cases referred to.
562. Deputy Joe Carey asked the Minister for Education if she has directed that suitable school bus transport will be provided in the coming autumn to service the growing number of pupils (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32254/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraSchool Transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department of Education. In the current school year over 121,400 children, including over 15,500 children with special educational needs, are transported on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country at a cost of over €289m in 2021.
The purpose of my Department's 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.
Under the terms of the School Transport Schemes children are eligible for transport at primary level where they reside not less than 3.2 kms from and are attending their nearest national school, and at post primary level where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest post primary school/education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language.
Children who are eligible for school transport and who complete the application process on time (apply on time and pay on time) are accommodated on school transport services where such services are in operation.
Children who are not eligible but who apply for school transport are considered for spare seats that may exist after eligible children have been facilitated; such seats are referred to as concessionary seats and are subject to certain conditions, there must be a suitable service, as determined by Bus Éireann, operating into their school, if there is spare capacity on the service.
Bus Éireann review all school transport services over the summer months. Arising from this review, routes may be altered, extended or withdrawn depending on the number and location of eligible children who will be availing of school transport for the following school year.
Bus Éireann have advised the pupils who reside in the area and attend the school referred to by the Deputy are concessionary applicants. Bus Éireann further advised all pupils who submitted an application for school transport from the area referred to by the Deputy were accommodated on a school transport service for 2021/22 school year.
563. Deputy Steven Matthews asked the Minister for Education if her attention has been drawn to the requirements to retrofit and install solar panels respectively in a school (details supplied); if the process for applying for this type of project can be outlined; if funding is available to fund similar applications; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32255/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in Design and Specification.
Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Departments Schools technical guidance documents must achieve an A3 Building Energy Rating A3 and have typically up to 20% higher performance than required by the current Building Regulations, along with 10% of primary energy provided via photovoltaics and infrastructure provision for electric vehicle charging.
All new technologies and approaches are tested to ensure compatibility with school design and operational requirements. Successful and repeatable results are then incorporated into all new school designs and refurbishments.
My Department’s Technical Guidance Documents set the benchmark for sustainable design in school buildings with a clear focus on energy efficiency and they are based on solid energy research projects. The Department's policy is supported by a strong research programme with forty eight research projects at various stages including its joint SEAI partnership energy website project www.energyineducation.ie.
Solar PV is also funded for schools that are having their electrical installations replaced.
Under Project Ireland 2040, the education sector will receive a total of approximately €4.4 billion capital investment over the period 2021-2025. This significant investment allows us to move forward with certainty on our ambitious plans and deliver high quality building projects, with a real focus on sustainability, for school communities across Ireland. This investment will also build on the good progress being made on adding capacity to cater for demographic changes and provision for children with special educational needs. This investment will also facilitate an increased focus on the modernisation of existing school stock and help transition the school system for an era of net zero carbon by 2050.
My Department and the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland are involved in an energy efficient retrofit pathfinder scheme for schools since 2017.
This Pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger national schools’ programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the National Development Plan. It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution driven delivery strategy which will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the schools’ sector.
The longer-term outcome of the pathfinder will be to create an accurate and scalable model for energy efficient retrofits of schools across Ireland which will include solar PV. The deep energy retrofit programme for schools built prior to 2008 is due to be rolled out as included in the National Development Plan.
The Climate Action Plan 2021 Annex of Actions published this year includes for the introduction of interim regulations amending solar panel planning exemptions, with defined exclusion zones around airports and aerodromes for solar installations in Q1 2022 and once published will be considered by my Department.
564. Deputy Colm Burke asked the Minister for Education if consideration will be given by her Department to reclassifying a school (details supplied) as DEIS 1 from its current status as DEIS 2 due to the fact that it is an inner-city school and this status would be more appropriate given the demographics of the students attending the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32279/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI announced on the 9th March that from next September the DEIS programme will be extended to an additional 310 schools. 37 schools will also benefit from additional supports following reclassification. Schools were identified for inclusion in the programme through the refined DEIS identification model which is an objective, statistics based model. Schools were not required to apply for inclusion in the DEIS programme and the model has been applied fairly and equally to all schools.
Schools who were not satisfied with the outcome following the application of the DEIS identification model to their school enrolment data had the opportunity to have that outcome reviewed.
Circular 0019/2022 outlining the details of this appeals process was published recently by my Department and is available at www.gov.ie/en/circular/7e7ca-deis-identification-2022-appeals-process-for-schools/
An appeal has been received under Circular 0019/2022 – DEIS Identification 2022: Appeals process for schools.
My Department is committed to ensuring that all schools are treated equally and fairly in the manner in which they have been identified for inclusion in the DEIS programme and all appeals which were submitted to my Department are currently being processed.
When all appeals have been processed, schools will be informed in writing of the outcome of the appeal. It is my Department’s intention that schools will be provided with the outcome shortly to allow schools time to plan for the 2022/23 school year.
565. Deputy Pauline Tully asked the Minister for Education further to a previous Parliamentary Question, if a report has been issued by Tusla Education Support Service to her Department; if so, if her Department has published the report; if not, the reason therefor; if she will provide a copy of this report to this Deputy; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32285/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraA commitment was made under the Programme for Government to ensure robust data collection on the use of reduced school days and to further ensure that they are only used in a manner that is limited, appropriate and absolutely necessary.
My Department issued guidelines to schools on reduced school days in September 2021 which came into effect from 1st January 2022. My Department is working closely with Tusla Education Support Service and the National Council for Special Education to ensure that all students are supported to the greatest extent possible, to attend for the full school day.
Tusla Education Support Service are tasked with gathering data from schools in relation to the use of reduced school days. It is my intention to publish this data in the near future and details will be on my Department's website.
566. Deputy Róisín Shortall asked the Minister for Education if a response will issue to matters raised in correspondence (details supplied) regarding a child’s fight for an appropriate school placement; the way that she will intervene to ensure that the child receives reasonable and suitable accommodations to further their education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32360/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing a wide range of schemes and supports for children with special educational needs.
This includes additional teaching and care supports.
As a result, the number of special education teachers, special needs assistants and special class and school places are at unprecedented levels.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children with special educational needs nationwide.
Over the last two years, my Department and the NCSE have worked closely on a more streamlined and joined up planning process which has ensured a targeted approach to meet demand for special needs placements ahead of each new school-year.
I am satisfied that this more joined up approach is delivering. Through this intensive intervention, we have seen an additional 300 special classes, providing 1,800 new places, opened nationwide for the 2021/22 school-year.
I also acknowledge that notwithstanding the extent of this investment, there are some parts of the country where increases in population and other issues have led to concerns regarding a shortage of school places.
The NCSE has well established structures in place for engaging with schools and parents and seeks to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all children who have been identified as needing special class placements.
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.
Parents seeking special class or school placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.
As your query refers to an individual placement case, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
567. Deputy Darren O'Rourke asked the Minister for Education if it is policy to obtain an independent valuation of a school property in circumstances (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32385/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraTraditionally the interest of the State in respect of capital expenditure on privately owned properties used as schools were secured by way of charging leases. Where the property ceases to be used as a school the owner can seek to have the charging lease terminated. Such applications are considered by my Department on a case by case basis. Some of the factors which my Department would have regard to in considering such an application are the current and future education requirements for the area in which the property is located, and the level of capital expenditure by my Department on the school. While these are some of the factors which my Department may consider other factors may also be considered in specific circumstances.
In general the necessity for a valuation would not arise if a patron is seeking termination of a charging lease.
568. Deputy Thomas Gould asked the Minister for Education the status of the appointment of a project manager and team to oversee the building of a new school for a school (details supplied). [32473/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy will be delivered under my Department's ADAPT Programme.
ADAPT is an acronym for the "Accelerated Delivery of Architectural Planning and Tendering".
The ADAPT Programme uses a professional external Project Manager to co-ordinate and drive the Design Team to achieve the best possible timeframe for the project through the stages of Architectural Planning, to Tender and Construction.
The tender process to appoint a Project Manager is now complete.
My Department has recently contacted the school authority with an update regarding the Project Manager appointment and the upcoming tender process for the appointment of a Design Team.
569. Deputy Patrick O'Donovan asked the Minister for Education if she will reconsider an appeal in the case of a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32509/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September.
For the 2022/23 school year, the staffing schedule for primary schools has been improved by one point and schools will be provided with class teachers on the basis of 1 teacher for every 24 pupils which is a historical low ratio, with lower thresholds applying to DEIS Urban Band 1 schools.
The staffing process contains an appeals mechanism for schools to submit a staffing appeal under certain criteria to an independent Primary Staffing Appeals Board. Details of the appeal process are available in Circular 25/2022.
The appeal submitted by the school referred to by the Deputy was deemed ineligible as it did not meet the published appeal criteria. The Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
570. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update with regard to progress on special education classes to be provided at post primary schools in County Cork for children with autism (details provided). [32515/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraEnabling children with special educational needs to receive an education is a priority for this Government.
This year, my Department will spend in excess of €2 Billion, or over 25% of the Department’s budget on providing additional teaching and care supports for children with special educational needs.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has responsibility for coordinating and advising on the education provision for children nationwide.
It is open to any school to make an application to the NCSE for the establishment of a specialised provision and where sanctioned, a range of supports, including capital funding, is made available to the school.
Parents seeking special class placements for their children are advised to contact NCSE locally so that their needs can be taken into account for planning purposes.
The NCSE through their network of SENOs (Special Educational Needs Organisers) are currently engaged in a process of establishing new classes for the 2022/2023 school year and beyond. They are looking at local information in relation to projected demand for future special class places.
The local SENOs remain available to assist and advise parents of children with special educational needs. Parents may contact SENOs directly using the contact details available at: ncse.ie/regional-services-contact-list.
As the query refers to an individual school, I will arrange to have it referred to the NCSE for their attention and direct reply.
571. Deputy Michael Creed asked the Minister for Education the steps taken by her Department following the recent publication of the out of school education provision report; the level of funding that her Department provides to this sector for each of the last five years; and if she will specifically comment on the future for the Cork Life Centre as a consequence of the report and recommendations therein. [32516/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe purpose of the Review of Out of School Education Provision was to inform future policy and sustainability for the sector. My Department is currently in the process of establishing a working group to progress the recommendations of the Review of Out of School Education Provision.
In 2021, both the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science (DFHERIS) and this Department increased the allocation of co-operation hours to the centre from 2,886 hours to 6,000 hours. This represents an increase of over 107% in the level of hours to the Cork Life Centre. In addition Cork Life Centre receives annual funding of €177,500 from my Department via Cork Education and Training Board.
With regard to overall funding for out of school settings, the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in a centralised format. There are number of settings referenced in the Review of Out of School Education Provision report. Some are not funded by my Department. Some settings receive funding directly from my Department from a variety of sources (pay and non-pay), while others receive funding via Education and Training Boards. One of the tasks of the working group to be established will be to ascertain the funding currently received by settings, both directly and indirectly, with a view to understanding the funding required for such settings in order to ensure sustainability.
Amongst the recommendations of the report is that “This review finds positively on the work which is carried out in out-of-school settings and it is important to provide stability to this provision. It recommends that all settings be supported by state funding to ensure its stability. However, in order to receive funding, out-of-school settings should be required to meet set criteria in relation to the level of education provision, level of teaching, referrals process and overall governance”.
The working group will be developing a framework in this regard. It is important to point out that the report refers to out of school provision across a range of settings which differ in context, student background, governance and range of provision. My Department and the working group will be engaging with the sector generally, including the Cork Life Centre, in the context of the work which will now follow the publication of the report.
572. Deputy Patrick Costello asked the Minister for Education if she will provide an update on the extension works to be carried out at a school (details supplied); and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32521/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraI can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is aware of proposals under consideration by the school in question and a third party which may facilitate the submission of an application for additional school accommodation. My Department has advised the school authority on how to progress such an application under the Additional School Accommodation (ASA) scheme following their discussion with the third party.
The purpose of the ASA scheme is to ensure that essential mainstream classroom and Special Education Needs (SEN) accommodation is available to cater for pupils enrolled each year, where the need cannot be met by the school’s existing accommodation.
The main focus of resources over the last decade and for the coming period is on provision of additional capacity to cater for increasing demographics. The latter stage of the National Development Plan will see an increasing focus on the upgrade and refurbishment of the existing school stock.
573. Deputy Pat Buckley asked the Minister for Education if her Department has plans to increase funding to schools to cover the ever-rising cost of lighting and heating owing to the rising costs of fuel; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [32531/22]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department provides funding to all recognised schools in the Free Education Scheme by way of per capita grants. The two main grants are the Capitation grant to cater for day to day running costs including heating, lighting etc. and the Ancillary grant to cater for the cost of employing ancillary services staff. I have committed to seeking funding for further increases in the capitation grant in future budgets.
My Department has also ensured that centrally negotiated rates are available to schools for electricity and bulk heating fuels. These rates are available through existing frameworks sourced by the Office of Government Procurement (OGP). OGP has run competitions specifically for Schools at a national level and the Schools Procurement Unit and the Department has communicated with schools and school management bodies informing them of the options available to them through these national arrangements. Information on how to avail of these arrangements is available via the Schools Procurement Unit website, www.spu.ie.
Furthermore, my Department is at the forefront of design with respect to sustainable energy in school buildings and this performance has been recognised at both National and International level with sustainable energy awards for excellence in Design and Specification.
My Department’s Technical Guidance Documents set the benchmark for sustainable design in school buildings with a clear focus on energy efficiency and they are based on solid energy research projects. Schools that are designed and built in accordance with the Department’s schools technical guidance documents have been achieving A3 Building Energy Ratings since 2009 with current schools typically achieving up to 20% higher performance than required by the current Building Regulations, along with 10% of primary energy provided via photovoltaics and infrastructure provision for electric vehicle charging.
All new technologies and approaches are tested to ensure compatibility with school design and operational requirements. Successful and repeatable results are then incorporated into all new school designs and refurbishments. The Departments policy is supported by a strong research programme with fifty three research projects at various stages including the energy website www.energyineducation.ie which is a joint partnership with the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI).
In the interest of sustainability, it is critical that renewable applications are properly suited to the schools needs so as to reduce energy costs and carbon and not just applied for the sake of having renewables. It is also critical that we minimise the demand for energy before we invest in renewable energy applications. This has been assisted in previous years with the wall and attic insulation programme and the water conservation programme.
My Department and the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications established a jointly funded pathfinder programme with the SEAI, testing and demonstrating energy efficiency and decarbonisation retrofit approaches. This pathfinder is a great example of collaboration ensuring the deployment of new design approaches and technologies are introduced to the educational environment on an evidence based approach.
This Pathfinder programme is paving the way for, and informing, a much larger national schools’ programme for the energy retrofit of schools built prior to 2008 as included in the National Development Plan. It is facilitating research on a range of typical retrofit options, which will have been tried and tested. It is providing valuable development information for a solution driven delivery strategy which will be founded on a solid evidence base that has proven the robustness and scalability of renewable solutions within the schools’ sector.
The longer-term outcome of the pathfinder will be to create an accurate and scalable model for energy efficient retrofits of schools across Ireland. The deep energy retrofit programme for schools built prior to 2008 is due to be rolled out as included in the National Development Plan.
The pathfinder programme has retrofitted 41 schools across Ireland to date with work on an additional 9 schools added in 2021 underway. 2022 sees six additional schools undergoing deep retrofit to a Building Energy Rating (BER) of B with renewable heating systems. Each school undergoes a comprehensive assessment to ensure that the measures are suitable for that school and will deliver value to both the school and learnings for the national retrofit programme.
The Energy in Education website portal and advice programme (Joint programme between SEAI and Dept. of Education) also assists schools reduce their energy consumption and empowers participating schools and pupils to learn the benefits of sustainability. www.energyineducation.ie. Typically savings of between 5 to 10% are identified through low and no cost measures, while some schools participating have identified potential savings of up to 15 % or more.
