Written Answers Nos. 54 - 63
54. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason for the delay in announcing the minor works grant; when it will be announced; and his views on the difficulty for schools to budget for and plan their maintenance with the uncertainty regarding the minor works programme. [35023/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraMy Department is currently determining the likely end-year position on capital expenditure 2016 and I hope to be able to make an announcement regarding the Minor Works Grant 2016/2017 shortly.
55. Deputy Bríd Smith asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the reduction in staff numbers at a school (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35156/16]
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.
The staffing arrangements includes the provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds, using projected enrolment for the following September, in this case September 2016.
On the basis of projected enrolment, the school referred to by the Deputy was allocated 2 developing posts on a provisional basis. The school’s actual enrolment in September was sufficient to retain 1 of these developing posts.
The staffing arrangements also include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The school submitted an application to the October meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The appeal was refused by the Appeals Board on the basis that the grounds of the appeal did not warrant the allocation of an additional post under Circular 0007/2016. The Board of Management of the school has been notified in this regard. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.
56. Deputy Thomas Byrne asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on whether the levels of capitation grants for the primary and secondary school sectors is adequate; and his plans to increase capitation levels in upcoming budgets. [35026/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraI do recognise the need to improve capitation funding for primary and post-primary schools having regard to the reductions that were necessary over recent years. Budget 2017 represents the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education, and the first phase of implementation of the Action Plan for Education, aimed at becoming the best education system in Europe within a decade.
The Action Plan outlines hundreds of actions to be implemented over the 3 year period 2016 to 2019. One of the actions as part of the plan is to strengthen the focus on reducing school costs for parents. The plan also integrates with the commitment in the Programme for a Partnership Government to increase capitation funding and to set out capitation rates to schools on a rolling 3-year basis, allowing for forward planning by schools.
It was not possible to provide additional funding in Budget 2017 in relation to this element of the Action Plan due to the many competing demands for the available funding. However, this commitment remains a priority for me to address as soon as possible during the lifetime of the Action Plan.
It is important to note that the total allocation to this Department for additional policy measures, after demographics and Industrial Relations commitments, was €130 million and of which all our commitments in higher and further education and primary and secondary schools had to be funded.
57. Deputy Carol Nolan asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to address the student accommodation crisis. [28431/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAlleviating the housing crisis is a cross-Government priority. The reality is that dealing comprehensively with this issue will only take place as part of a more general programme to address the major housing and homelessness issue.
Accordingly, my colleague Mr. Simon Coveney T.D., Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government, on 19 July 2016 published “Rebuilding Ireland – an Action Plan for Housing and Homelessness”. The full plan can be accessed at: http://rebuildingireland.ie/Rebuilding%20Ireland_Action%20Plan.pdf.
My Department contributed significantly to the development of this Plan and the current position in respect of the specific measures relating to student accommodation as detailed in Rebuilding Ireland is as follows:
1. Rebuilding Ireland details that a national student accommodation strategy will be in place by Q2 2017 and my Department is working on the development of this strategy with a view to meeting this timescale.
2. Rebuilding Ireland details that an initial assessment will be completed during Q4 2016 with a view to bringing on stream proposals capable of delivering an additional 7,000 student accommodation places by end 2019, on or off campus. Officials from my Department are working closely with officials from the Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government with a view to meeting this timescale.
3. & 4. The Government approved the publication of the General Scheme of a Planning and Development (Housing and Residential Tenancies) Bill in September and is now prioritising its drafting and full publication. This includes facilitating (for a limited time-period) planning applications for large-scale housing developments and student accommodation developments, being made directly to An Bord Pleanála and facilitating Higher Education Institutes to borrow monies from the Housing Finance Agency for the purposes of financing student accommodation provision.
5. Funding for a Student Housing Officer to work with the Union of Students in Ireland has been agreed for 2016 with a commitment to examine future funding needs going forward. This builds on the funding of €30,000 which was provided to USI by the HEA to fund their 2016 #HomesForStudy campaign.
6. I believe that a borrowing framework for the institutes of technology sector would deliver significant benefits and my officials are in discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform to examine ways Institutes of Technology can be facilitated in developing on-campus student accommodation through addressing borrowing capacity and funding constraints.
7. Work is ongoing in the Department of Housing, Planning Community and Local Government on developing a comprehensive database of publicly owned lands in key developable areas with a view to identifying land suitable for housing development. This database will also inform the scope for provision of additional student accommodation.
In addition, I should point out that a number of our Higher Education Institutions have Student Accommodation projects ongoing, or in the pipeline. Maynooth University have 296 new on-campus bed spaces, and UCD have 350 new on-campus bed spaces, which came on stream in September 2016. Six other Higher Education Institutions are currently engaged in, or going through the planning phases for student accommodation projects, namely National University of Ireland Galway, Trinity College Dublin, University of Limerick, Dublin City University, University College Cork and Dublin Institute of Technology.
The Actions in Rebuilding Ireland in relation to Student Accommodation build on the report, Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, which was published last year by the Minister for Education and Skills.
58. Deputy Thomas Pringle asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will produce the new roadmap on reconfiguration by the end of 2016; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35019/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Programme for a Partnership Government reflects the Government's objective of strengthening parental choice and further expanding diversity in our school system. The desire of parents for diversity in education is primarily being pursued by increasing the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools with a view to reaching 400 by 2030.
In addition to the phased transfer of Catholic schools to new patrons already under way, this requires considering new ideas and new approaches to substantially accelerate the changes in school provision in order to achieve greater diversity. By developing new approaches I am convinced that we can significantly increase the number of non-denominational and multi-denominational schools. In this regard, after taking office and in the context of developing my Action Plan for Education 2016-2019, I held meetings with a broad range of stakeholders, including patron and management bodies, as did my officials, to discuss how best this can be achieved.
I am progressing the patronage divesting/reconfiguration programme as a priority. I plan to announce the new approaches which will be pursued in that regard within the timeframe indicated in the Action Plan for Education.
59. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a recent issue in Dublin-Rathdown whereby parents and staff at two schools recently learned of closures and relocations via social media and press reports; if there is a process whereby those impacted by school closures, builds or relocations, namely, parents, teachers, staff, community and local elected representatives, are given up-to-date information on any such closures, builds or relocations before this information is published on social media or the press; if there is a process, the details of same; if it will be followed through in future; if no process is in place, his plans to implement one; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35187/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraAs the Deputy is aware, the two schools, referred to, comprise a post-primary fee-charging Catholic Girls’ school which is recognised by my Department and a private fee-charging Junior (primary) school. As the junior school concerned is a wholly owned private school that is not recognised by my Department, my Department has no role in relation to the school concerned.
In the case of the post primary school, my Department was advised by the Patron that as the school is no longer viable, it had decided to close the school. The Patron advised that it is intended to close the school on a phased basis in 2019 so as to enable the current cohort of post-primary students to complete their current cycle of Junior Certificate or Leaving Certificate during the wind-down period. In general, the initiative for any school closure may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Board of Management and Patron(s). A proposal by the Patron to close a school is generally managed in a manner that accommodates the interests of the relevant stakeholders.
I am aware that in the case of any proposed school closure, builds or relocations that there can be significant sensitivities involved and that these, including information for all the relevant stakeholders, are best addressed through a process of local level dialogue. I therefore consider that as in the case referred to by the Deputy it is a matter for each Patron Body concerned to determine how best this local dialogue should be conducted with its school community.
60. Deputy Joan Burton asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way he plans to progress the three areas in the education sector that he has identified as his core priority areas of focus in the sector, including assisting children with special needs, supporting schools and building a stronger bridge between education and the workplace; the reason he has prioritised these three areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [34875/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraLast September, I launched the first ever Action Plan for Education, covering the period 2016- 2019. The central vision of the Plan is that the Irish Education and Training System should become the best in Europe over the next decade. This will be achieved through focusing on five high level goals:
1. Improve the learning experience and the success of learners
2. Improve the progress of learners at risk of educational disadvantage or learners with special educational needs
3. Help those delivering education services to continuously improve
4. Build stronger bridges between education and wider community
5. Improve national planning and support services.
In order to ensure that progress is made in all five of these areas, updated annual Action Plans will be published each year, covering the actions that will be implemented during the subsequent 12 months. As part of this process:
- Actions will be monitored against published timelines
- Each year a new Action Plan will be developed and published to further our goals in consultation with stakeholders
- Responsibility for actions will be clearly assigned.
Furthermore, my Department will publish progress reports each quarter that will evolve and improve from the experience of implementation.
61. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he expects to be in a position to make adequate provision as required to meet the full pre-school, primary, second, third and fourth level current and future educational needs in all areas throughout the country, having particular regard to demographic trends, overcrowded classrooms, the schools building programme, special needs and the challenge of the varying and increasing demands of the workplace and apprenticeships; if he remains satisfied that the plans in place remain adequate to meet the challenges of an expanding economy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35184/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe Action Plan for Education sets out this Government’s ambitions for the education system over the coming years, including how we will implement the commitments in the Programme for Government and the Confidence and Supply Arrangement.
The Action Plan sets out hundreds of measures which will be implemented, with a particular focus on disadvantage, skills and continuous improvement within the education and training system.
Budget 2017, announced last month, represents the first phase in implementing the Action Plan and the start of a major programme of reinvestment in education.
Next year, an additional €458 million will be invested in the education system, which represents an increase of over 5% on my Department’s allocation for 2016. This will allow us to make significant progress in a range of areas across the education and training sector.
- This will mean over 2,500 additional posts in schools, including more classroom teachers, more resource teachers and more Special Needs Assistants. We will continue to restore guidance posts in schools.
- Funding will be available to make continued progress on curricular reform, including through the allocation of individual professional time for teachers of Junior Cycle.
- We will implement the recent agreement reached with the TUI and INTO on salary increases for new entrant teachers.
- A new package of support is being provided for the critical area of school leadership.
- Resources will be made available to implement the new Action Plan for Disadvantaged Schools which will be launched later this year.
- We are also making the first significant investment in higher education in a number of years, with at least an additional €160 million committed over the next three years.
- We will also carry out a review and consultation with the aim of developing a multi-annual funding model for higher and further education and training from 2018. This will include consideration of an Employer-Exchequer investment mechanism and will complement the Oireachtas Committee’s consideration of the Cassells report.
- On the capital side, my Department will spend €690 million which will allow for around 20,000 new school places to be provided.
The investment secured as part of the Budget is an important first step in achieving our ambitions. Over the coming years, I will continue to work in partnership with the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform to secure the resources needed to implement in full the commitments set out in the Action Plan for Education.
62. Deputy Catherine Martin asked the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to the fact that the national training fund has a current surplus of €272 million projected to the end of 2017; the reason this surplus is not being applied to the crisis in higher education funding if part of its purpose is to provide skills to prospective employees and to facilitate life-long learning; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35186/16]
Amharc ar fhreagraThe National Training Fund (NTF) was established under the National Training Fund Act 2000 to raise the skills of those in employment and to provide training to those who wish to acquire skills to take up employment. It is also used to provide information in relation to existing, or likely future requirements for skills in the economy.
The Act, provides for the imposition of a levy on employers, the main source of income for the Fund. The levy on employers is 0.7% of reckonable earnings in respect of employees in Class A and Class H employments, which represents approximately 75% of all insured employees.
Over a number of years the annual levy income from the NTF was less than the amount expended. The income levy went from a high of €413 million in 2008 to €299 million in 2012. Since 2012 however, the levy income has increased annually due to improved employment levels, to an expected income of €405 million by the end of next year.
€362 million has been made available annually over the last number of years from the NTF for training for employed and unemployed people. The surplus in the Fund at the end of 2015 was €183.762m. This is expected to increase to €217m at the end of this year and to €272m by the end of 2017.
In accordance with the NTF Act the surplus remains in the accounts of the National Training Fund. In the past, the accumulated surplus in the fund has been important in maintaining expenditure levels, particularly in the provision of training for the unemployed, in periods when receipts fell. It should also be noted that NTF funding forms part of the Department’s annual overall expenditure ceiling and any increase in NTF expenditure will have to be offset by reductions in expenditure elsewhere.
The Report of the Expert Group on Future Funding for Higher Education, published in July, clearly outlines the funding challenges in the higher education sector 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 Education Committee as part of the process for formulating a plan for the future of the sector.
To address the immediate challenges in the Higher Education sector, I am pleased that in Budget 2017 I secured additional funding for the first time in recent years. In 2017, an additional €36.5 million will be made available with €160 million additional over the next three years. This will allow the sector keep pace with demographic increases and introduce targeted initiatives in areas such as disadvantage, skills, research and flexible learning. Among those who will benefit from the additional third level funding being made available are, students from disadvantaged backgrounds, lone parents and Travellers.
