Bhreathnach, NiamhTuesday, 11 March 1997 |
Dáil Éireann Debate
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Private Members' Business. - Private Educational Institutions Bill, 1997: Second Stage.
I sympathise with the students, and their parents, of the Advanced Technology College, which is in financial difficulties. I am conscious of the commitment of students and parents to providing for st...
This Bill will not have any effect — good, bad or indifferent — on the plight of the students of the Advanced Technology College.
There are statutory mechanisms for companies experiencing financial difficulties and these mechanisms are being availed of by the students in question. It is clearly important that every effort should...
This Government has made significant advances. I hope the Deputy listens because the accusation is we have not done anything.
It is the job of the Opposition to oppose but parties in that position should also avail of the opportunity to reform themselves.
It is a pity to waste time. There have been advances in meeting the programme's commitment to regulate private colleges and I consider it is important to outline the initiatives I have taken in this r...
——and in discussion with the private colleges. (Interruptions.)
I will send the Deputies copies of the codes of standards and report. I hope they read these.
I have met parents.
I have met parents and the Deputy should not say I have not done so. I do not tell lies to the House and Deputies should not accuse me of doing so.
This is the fourth time I have been accused of not meeting the students and parents. I want to put it on the record that I have met them.
The Deputies have accused me of not meeting them but I have met them.
The Deputies evidently need the information I have with me and I would like to give it to them.
There is a quality mark associated with the Department of Education and I am responsible for ensuring it is upheld for students, their parents and colleges. My Department has commenced discussions w...
I have carried out much work in regulating and maintaining confidence in the quality mark which is associated with the education system.
The Deputies do not want to listen to what has been done.
This is not of benefit to those whom the Deputy represents.
The Bill fails miserably in attempting to regulate private colleges, and there will be little protection for many who find themselves in situations similar to that of the students of the Advanced Tech...
The provision of education is not analogous to the provision of chartered holidays. I therefore consider that the Transport (Tour Operators and Travel Agents) Act, 1982, on which this Bill is largely...
The issue facing a holidaymaker in the event of a travel agent or tour operator experiencing financial difficulties is the recovery of a deposit paid in the event that the person has not started their...
The Bill fails to adequately recognise the additional complexities involved in the area of private education. It focuses exclusively on the financial aspects of consumer protection with no regard for...
The long title of the Bill indicates that its purpose is to regulate private educational institutions to protect students attending such institutions. The Bill introduces a mandatory licensing syste...
——all the voluntary secondary schools in the State. In preparing legislation for education it must be borne in mind that large parts of the system are privately owned, although publicly funded — the ...
The private nature of much of the education system requires full consideration before this House should be asked to consider a Bill like this. No explanation of private education at post-primary leve...
The Bill, as drafted, includes summer schools and hobby pursuits. There must be a clear understanding of the scope of any regulatory framework. There can be no ambiguity as to the type of institutio...
The Bill, as framed, is extraordinarily wide in its application. There is not a little difference between the education system and the holiday tours business. It could include not only every volunta...
The Deputy needs to go on a course for the hard of hearing. Does the Opposition seriously intend to regulate each course regardless of its length or subject matter? The constitutional implications of...
The Bill does nothing to help the ATC students. Its enactment would cause mayhem in the education sector.
We need to build on the progress to date so that a proper regulation of private commercial colleges offering third level programmes which seek State certification will be put in place. This Bill is a...
I have not.
Written Answers. - Psychological Service.
Was asked: the plans, if any, she has to extend the school psychological service to the north-east to assist children with educational difficulties; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
There is a school-based psychological service provided by my Department to all second-level schools in all regions of the country. Parents may access this service through the second level school atte...
Written Answers. - Recreational Facilities Scheme.
Was asked: the amount of recreational grant given to each county under the recreational grants scheme for 1995.
I would refer the Deputy to Parliamentary Questions Nos. 64 and 71 answered on 24 October 1996 which contained the information requested by the Deputy.
Written Answers. - Schools Refurbishment.
Was asked: whether funding has been made available to St. Mary's school, Rochestown, County Cork, for the installation of a new heating system; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Was asked: if she will sanction the replacement of the electrical and heating systems at St. Mary's school, Rochestown, County Cork; and if so, when this sanction will be given.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 139 and 159 together. I am pleased to inform the House that I am now in a position to provide funds towards the cost of upgrading the electrical and heating systems at...
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
Was asked: when she will sanction proceeding to tender on an extension to a school (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that this project was initially approved in 1991.
My Department is currently considering the cost plan for the proposed extension at the school referred to by the Deputy. When this stage is completed satisfactorily, my Department will be advising th...
Was asked: if she will provide a grant towards funding the cost of a community hall at Anabla national school, Kilcummin, Killarney, County Kerry.
My Department is not in a position to provide grant-aid towards the cost of a community hall an Anabla national school, Kilcummin, Killarney, County Kerry. While I am anxious to extend the provision o...
Written Answers. - Remedial Teacher Service.
Was asked: whether additional remedial teaching hours will be provided for children (details supplied) in County Mayo in view of the fact that they are finding it difficult to manage and are behind the other stu...
I understand that the local schools' inspector has recently carried out a review of the remedial teaching service in the area in question. This has resulted in the children mentioned by the Deputy re...
Written Answers. - Schools Refurbishment.
Was asked: when new indoor toilets will be provided and the roof of the existing hallway damp-proofed and coated at a school (details supplied) in County Cork; and whether plans for these improvement works have ...
The plans for the improvement works to the sanitary facilities at the school referred to by the Deputy are currently in preparation and will be completed shortly. It is expected that the works will c...
Written Answers. - Equipment Grants for Disabled Pupils.
Was asked: whether a person (details supplied) in County Galway, who has been allocated equipment (details supplied) by her Department to assist with her leaving certificate studies, will be allowed to retain th...
A grant for the purchase of this equipment was made in accordance with the provisions of the scheme of grants towards the purchase of equipment for pupils with a disability. The second level school at...
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
Was asked: the reason for the delay in issuing a decision in the application by a school (details supplied) in County Dublin for a grant towards the cost of extending and refurbishing the school in view of the f...
My Department had difficulty in assessing the scale of the project requirement at the school referred to by the Deputy. Following examination of enrolment projections for the school, and detailed exa...
Written Answers. - Teacher Appointments.
Was asked: if she has made a decision regarding the urgent need for extra staffing at a school (details supplied) in County Louth; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
My Department is awaiting the submission of further relevant details from the authorities of the school in question. As soon as those details have been received and considered a decision will be conv...
Written Answers. - Sports Capital Programme.
Was asked: if she has received an application for the Swimworld Project, Renmore, County Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I can confirm that my Department has received an application for grant assistance from Swimworld Ltd. The application is one of over 1,000 applications in hand seeking funding under the sports capita...
Was asked: if she has received an application for grant assistance under the recreational facilities scheme for the construction of a cub and scout unit at Renmore, County Galway; and if she will make a statemen...
I can confirm that my Department has received an application for grant assistance from the 13th Galway CBSI, Renmore. The application is one of over one thousand applications on hand seeking funding ...
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Was asked: the measures, if any, she intends to take to resolve the anomaly which exists whereby mature students applying for third level grants from their home address are classified as dependent and their pare...
Under the 1996 higher education grant scheme, independent mature students are defined to be mature students who are not ordinarily resident at home with their parents. Their entitlement to a grant is...
Written Answers. - Remedial Teacher Service.
Was asked: if she will appoint a remedial teacher to a school (details supplied) in County Limerick which first applied for this post in 1988 and where it is estimated that 15 per cent of the pupils need remedia...
Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the necessity for a remedial teacher to service national schools (details supplied) in County Wexford; if she will have arrangements made to provide this service; an...
I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 166 together. Remedial teacher posts are allocated to schools on the basis of priority of need as determined by my Department following the collection and anal...
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
Was asked: if parents of children attending fourth class in a school (details supplied) in Dublin 9 have been in touch with her Department regarding the situation whereby their children have had three teachers s...
I am aware that officials of my Department have had some contact from parents of pupils attending the school to which the Deputy refers concerning the high turnover of substitute teachers at the schoo...
Written Answers. - Resource Teacher Posts.
Was asked: if she will provide a resource teacher to be shared between schools (details supplied) in County Waterford in view of the fact that these schools have an above average number of children with various ...
Was asked: if she will approve a school (details supplied) in County Waterford for disadvantaged status in view of the social conditions that prevail in the area; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 and 153 together. I am not in a position at present to allocate a resource teacher to the schools in question. My capacity to allocate such posts in any given yea...
Written Answers. - School Transport.
Was asked: when the school bus for students in the Killeen area of Louisburgh, County Mayo will be provided.
The school bus requested by the Deputy for pupils in the Killeen area of Louisburgh, County Mayo, was advertised by Bus Éireann on 29 January 1997. One tender was received to provide an additional bu...
Written Answers. - School Accommodation.
Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the fact that in Carraroe national school, County Sligo, the only accommodation for one teacher and her class of 30 children of seven to eight year olds is the assem...
My Department is aware of the accommodation difficulties being experienced at Carraroe national school, County Sligo. Due to budgetary constraints, it is not possible to provide grant-aid towards the...
Written Answers. - Industrial and Reformatory School Files.
Was asked: whether the files in her Department relating to children placed in the old industrial and reformatory schools do not include the files of people subsequently adopted; the estimated final number of fil...
The files in my Department's possession relating to children placed in the old industrial and reformatory schools contain a small number of references to cases involving adoption. Of the over 30,000 ...
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
Was asked: if she will reconsider the decision not to include the building project of the De La Salle College, Dundalk, County Louth, in the 1997 post primary school programme in view of the severe accommodation...
The funding for the post-primary school capital programme has been allocated and the building programme for 1997 has been finalised. Unfortunately, due to the limited resources available and the large...
Written Answers. - Higher Diploma Allowances.
Was asked: if she will grant a higher diploma allowance to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
The teacher concerned was awarded the educational woodwork teachers certificate of the Department in 1969 following completion of a three year course at the School of Furniture, Cork. The current qua...
Written Answers. - Home-School-Community Liaison Scheme.
Was asked: if she will sanction a shared home-school-community liaison teacher under the scheme for disadvantaged areas for schools (details supplied); and if so, when approval will be given.
I am not in a position at present to extend the home-school-community liaison scheme to additional primary schools. My capacity to allocate additional resources to this scheme in any year is determine...
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
Was asked: if she will sanction the erection of nine classrooms, a remedial room and ancillary works for Scoil Íde national school, Corbally, County Limerick, in view of the fact that prefabricated classrooms th...
The architectural service of my Department is currently preparing the tender documentation for the proposed extension at Scoil Ide, Corbally, County Limerick. A decision on the timing of the tender ...
Was asked: the anticipated timespan to complete the physical education hall projects for St. Mac Dara's community college, Dublin 6W, from the planning and tender stages to work completion; and if she will make ...
Provision has been made in the 1997 Capital Programme for the construction of a physical education hall at St. Mac Dara's community college. The present position is that the architectural planning of ...
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Was asked: if she will award a higher education grant and free fees to a person (details supplied) in County Cork.
Officials of my Department have been in contact with the local authorities and vocational education committees for both Cork city and county regarding this case and have been advised that there is no ...
Written Answers. - Psychological Service.
Was asked: the number of educational psychologists who are employed to assess children in the Dublin area; and whether they assess both primary and secondary level schools.
Of the 36 psychologists employed by my Department at present, 18 work in schools in Dublin city and county. Of these, eight are working in second-level schools, nine are in primary schools, and one p...
Written Answers. - Special Education Services.
Was asked: whether there is a secondary level section for special education in her Department.
There is no separate secondary level special education section in my Department. Where special needs children are concerned, the nature and severity of the disability, rather than the chronological ag...
Written Answers. - School Staffing.
Was asked: further to her reply to Parliamentary Question No. 221 of 25 February 1997, if she will fund a replacement teacher for the teacher seconded to the special project in view of the fact that the school i...
My Department sanctioned the secondment of a teacher on a recoupment basis to the educational support project. I am not aware of an application having been received from any source to alter the statu...
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Was asked: if a third level student living 190 miles from home can qualify for a grant in her own right in view of the fact that her parents who put her through first year of college cannot afford to put her thr...
Under the terms of the third level student support schemes, a candidate's reckonable income for the purposes of the award of a grant is the candidate's gross income from all sources and that of her-hi...
Written Answers. - Speech Therapy Service.
Was asked: if she is aware of the urgent need to facilitate a person (details supplied) in County Louth who has a special need regarding speech but who is not in a position to avail of the early start programme ...
I understand that the child in question is enroled in the early start unit at Redeemer girls's school, Dundalk, for the current school year. The question of the child's admission to the special langua...
Written Answers. - Teaching of Music.
Was asked: the plans, if any, she has to provide sufficient funds in the primary sector to allow each school to provide music as a subject; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
I have no plans at present to introduce a specific grant to assist schools in the teaching of music. As the Deputy may be aware, music is an integral part of the primary school curriculum and is taugh...
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Was asked: when free fees will be extended to students in the College of Surgeons; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
Under the free fees initiative, the State meets the tuition fees of eligible students who are attending full-time undergraduate courses, which must generally be of at least two years duration, at appr...
Written Answers. - Leaving Certificate Appeals System.
Was asked: if she will take the necessary steps to ensure that students can appeal marks awarded at State Examinations and can in future be represented by the relevant subject teacher at the appeal hearing; her ...
The leaving certificate appeals system has recently been the subject of a detailed review by Price Waterhouse. This is the first such review of our appeals system and it comprehensively addresses a r...
Written Answers. - Schools Building Projects.
Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the hardship and disadvantages being experienced by both teachers and pupils due to the lengthy delay in proceeding with the new primary school at Brittas Bay, Count...
I am aware of the need for a new primary school building for Brittas Bay, County Wicklow. The current position on the project is that contract documents will be ready in about one month's time. At t...
Written Answers. - GTN Directory.
Was asked: whether her attention has been drawn to the availability throughout the Civil Service and to Members of the Oireachtas of the Government's Telecommunications Network Directory on computer within an on...
I wish to inform the Deputy that GTN Directory details relating to staff in my Department were last updated on 10 March 1997. The electronic mail element of the directory is currently undergoing revi...
Written Answers. - School Ownership.
Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the fact that the ownership of St. Michael's Diocesan School, Trim, County Meath, is to be transferred from the Diocese of Meath to her Department, to be completed b...
The St. Michael's Diocesan School, Trim, County Meath is being transferred to my Department. Arrangements are currently being made to appoint a design team and the prior indicative notice has already ...
Written Answers. - Higher Education Grants.
Was asked: if physiotherapy courses are grantaided in United Kingdom universities; if not, when this will be introduced; and if it will be retrospective; and if she will make a statement on the matter.
The schemes of student support provide for the extension of means tested maintenance grants in the 1996-97 academic year to students following fulltime undergraduate courses of at least two years dura...
Written Answers. - Schools Buildings Projects.
Was asked: if she will give an approximate start-up date for the construction of the new Gaelscoil Faitleann in Killarney, County Kerry.
The current position in respect of the project is that planning permission has been received and application for fire certificate will be made shortly. The preparation of contract documentation is als...
Was asked: when she will provide funding for a school (details supplied) in County Cork in view of the fact that the Southern Health Board has already condemned the toilet facilities available.
Due to the current level of contractual commitments on the primary school capital programme, I am not in a position at present to provide funding towards improving the sanitary facilities at the schoo...
Written Answers. - Capitation Grants.
Was asked: if her attention has been drawn to the serious dissatisfaction with the level of grants provided for the purchase of equipment necessary for the education of children attending St. Teresa's primary sc...
The day-to-day running costs of primary schools, including the costs of purchasing general equipment, are funded by means of the capitation grant scheme and the contribution from local sources. The le...
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