Written Answers Nos. 114-123
114. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills when the technical assessment of a school building (details supplied) will take place with regard to capital works; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35327/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Deputy will be aware that a project for the school to which he refers was included in my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme which was announced last November. The project for the school in question will be progressed with a view to proceeding to tender and construction stages in 2019-2021, as outlined in the programme.
In that regard, my Department will be in contact with the school authorities in the coming weeks for the purposes of arranging a technical site visit to consider the options for progressing the project.
115. Deputy John Deasy asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of prefab units rented by primary and post-primary schools in County Waterford; and the current average rental cost per unit per annum to his Department. [35329/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. My Department will collate the information and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.
116. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills the stage of the planning process the development of a secondary school (details supplied) at Merrymeeting, Rathnew, County Wicklow is at; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35374/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe school building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning (Stage 2b Detailed Design) which includes the application for Statutory Approvals and the preparation of Tender Documents. Planning Permission has been secured and the Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate applications are in progress.
Once all statutory approvals have been obtained and the Stage 2b report is submitted to my Department and reviewed, my Department will contact the Board of Management with regard to the further progression of the project at that time. This project was included in the 6 year construction programme announced on 17 November 2015.
117. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost of renting prefabs for a secondary school (details supplied) located on the site at Merrymeeting, Rathnew, County Wicklow; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35375/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI take it that the Deputy is referring to a primary school which is listed in the details supplied with the Parliamentary Question. The school in question is currently temporarily located in a property owned by Kildare/Wicklow Education Training Board so the question of prefab rental does not arise.
118. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the 1.7 acre site purchased by his Department for €560,000 at Crinion Park, Wicklow town remains in his Department's possession; if so, his plans for this site; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35376/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department purchased a 1.48 acre site in Crinion Park, Wicklow town in 2002 on the basis of Outline Planning Permission having being granted for an eight classroom primary school at this location. It was intended to provide permanent accommodation for Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin on the site.
Enrolments at the Gaelscoil have since grown and it now requires a 16 classroom school building. The site at Crinion Park is not technically suitable to provide for such a school and a project to deliver permanent accommodation for Gaelscoil Chill Mhantáin is planned at an alternative location.
The site at Crinion Park remains in my Department's ownership and there are no current plans for development at this location.
119. Deputy John Brady asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a secondary school (details supplied) will remain at its current location (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35377/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI wish to clarify for the Deputy that a primary school is currently temporarily located in the property to which he refers pending the construction of a new permanent school building for the primary school. The building is owned by Kildare/Wicklow Education Training Board.
As the Deputy will be aware, a building project to provide the new school building is included on my Department's 6 Year Construction Programme. This project is in advanced architectural planning. The school in question will vacate the temporary building when the permanent school is constructed and the building will be used by the Education Training Board for education purposes.
120. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills his Department's position regarding school lockers being adapted to accommodate helmets (details supplied); if his Department has discussed this with the Road Safety Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35398/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department does not specify the type of locker to be installed in schools. This is a matter for schools themselves.
This is a local issue for individual schools and each pupil as to how they manage their locker space. This matter can be raised by pupils or their parents with their school authority for advice on locker management or, alternatively, with a view to making other cycle helmet storage arrangements within the school as necessary.
The Road Safety Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport do not have any remit with regard to the day to day running of a school which is a matter for the school authority. Accordingly, this matter has not been discussed with those bodies.
121. Deputy Jim O'Callaghan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the proposal and plans with regard to the IMI defined benefit pension scheme in the proposed merger of the Irish Management Institute (IMI) and University College Cork (UCC) if the entitlements of all of the members of the pension scheme have been secured; if it is ensured that they will receive their entitlements; and if the deficit in the pension fund has been met. [35400/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe IMI is a private institute and the proposed merger between IMI and UCC is in the first instance a matter for the governing body of UCC although approval of the HEA may be required. My officials are awaiting full details of the proposed merger from the HEA.
The pension liabilities of IMI remain the responsibility of IMI and will not become a liability of UCC or the State. It is a matter for the Trustees of the IMI pension scheme, which is a private pension scheme, to make appropriate provision for its members.
122. Deputy Michael Healy-Rae asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding the lack of financial support for the institute of technology in Tralee (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35405/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions, including Institutes of Technology (IoTs) such as Tralee Institute of Technology. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual institution.
The HEA has been closely monitoring the financial position of all of the IoTs and in particular are working closely with those Institutes, such as Tralee IT, that are experiencing financial difficulties in order to ensure appropriate mechanisms are put in place to eliminate any deficit as quickly as possible.
The HEA has a policy framework in place for engaging with vulnerable IoTs which requires Institutes to submit a three year plan to return them to a balanced budget situation. If the Institute is unable to demonstrate how a return to a balanced budget can be achieved within this timeframe, or if actual performance deviates significantly from the plan, then the HEA will seek the appointment of an independent financial expert to work with the Governing Body and Executive Management Team to agree a revised plan and programme of remedial action.
My Department and the HEA are aware of the financial difficulties being experienced by a number of the IoTs. The Financial Review of the Institutes, recently undertaken by the HEA in order to provide an overview of the financial health of the IoT sector, to consider capacity issues and to examine the challenges for the institutions given their respective plans for the future, makes a number of recommendations on how some of the issues which contribute to funding problems in the IoT sector can be addressed. These policy recommendations will feed into the work being undertaken on developing a sustainable funding model for the sector.
Funding overall for the higher education sector is a key concern for me particularly in light of the additional pressure that will fall on the system over the next decade or so. In seeking to address the issue in the short term, I have for the first time in nine years secured as part of Budget 2017, additional funding for the sector. In 2017, additional funding of €36.5 million will be made available with €160 million additional over the next three years.
The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, clearly outlines the funding challenges and offers a number of approaches and recommendations for consideration for the medium term. As committed to in the Programme for Government, the report has been referred to the Oireachtas Education Committee and this consultation will form part of the process of formulating a plan for the future of the sector.
123. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which the full requirement in respect of special needs school places has been met in County Kildare; the number of such places still outstanding; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35490/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra126. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department continues to monitor the special needs teaching requirements in terms of teachers and SNAs at primary and second level in all schools throughout the country; the extent to which he expects to be in a position to meet the increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35493/16]
Amharc ar fhreagra131. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which his Department continues to monitor the special needs teaching requirements in terms of teachers and SNAs at primary and second level in all schools throughout County Kildare; the extent to which he expects to be in position to meet the increased demand; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35498/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 123, 126 and 131 together.
Funding for special education provision in 2016 will amount to some €1.5 billion, which is equivalent to over 17% of the gross overall current allocation for education and training and an increase of 10% in spending in the past two years.
This funding provides for a range of supports and services including additional learning and resource teaching support, access to Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, special transport arrangements, building adaptations, enhanced capitation in special schools and special classes, specialised equipment, additional teacher training and the services of the National Educational Psychological Service.
Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to mainstream Primary, Post Primary schools and to Special Schools to assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. Such support is provided in order to facilitate the attendance of those pupils at school and also to minimise disruption to class or teaching time for the pupils concerned, or for their peers, and with a view to developing their independent living skills.
The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for Special Educational Needs supports.
The NCSE allocates SNA support to schools in accordance with the criteria set out in my Department's Circular 0030/2014. This year, 12,900 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are available for allocation to schools, to the end of 2016, which represents an increase of 23% over the numbers allocated in 2011.
There are currently over 12,400 learning support and Resource Teacher posts in mainstream primary and post primary schools.
The NCSE has allocated 7430 resource teacher posts to schools for the 2016/17 school year. This represents an increase of 41% in the number of resource teachers which have been allocated since the 2011/12 school year, at which point 5265 posts were allocated.
The NCSE has published details of the SNA and Resource Teaching Posts allocated to schools, including schools in County Kildare, for the current school year, 2016/2017, on its website www.ncse.ie.
In addition, over 5000 learning support posts have been allocated to schools under the General Allocation Model for primary schools and Learning Support allocations for post primary schools.
The NCSE, in consultation with the relevant education partners, also has responsibility for the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas, as required. The NCSE continues to engage with schools in opening special classes where there is an identified need for special class provision.
Approximately 150 new Special Classes will be opened for the 2016/17 school year, which means there will be over 1,150 special classes in place, compared to 548 special classes in 2011.
125 special schools also provide specialist education for those pupils who need it.
As part of the recent Budget announcements, an additional 115 SNA posts at an annual cost of €3.75 million will be provided for allocation from January to June 2017 and an additional €18 million in 2017 to provide for around 900 additional resource teacher posts.
I also announced that following development and piloting over the past number of years, a new model for the allocation of teaching resources for children with special educational needs will be implemented from September 2017. Further details regarding implementation of the new model will be announced in the coming months.
The combination of supports provided means that school places are available for all children with special educational needs, including in County Kildare, regardless of their level of need.
