Written Answers
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Tuesday 9 October 2012 Written Answers. The following are questions tabled by Members for written response and the ministerial replies as received on the day from the Departments [unrevised]. 09/10/2012WRA00100Written Answers The following are questions tabled by Members for written response and the ministerial replies as received on the day from the Departments [unrevised]. 09/10/2012WRA00300Written Answers Nos. 1-81 Questions Nos. 1 to 11, inclusive, answered orally. Questions Nos. 12 to 46, inclusive, resubmitted. Questions Nos. 47 to 50, inclusive, answered orally. Question No. 51 lapsed. Questions Nos. 52 to 59, inclusive, answered orally. School Staffing 09/10/2012WRA0090060. Deputy Brian Stanley asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teach- ers affected by the pay cut for new entrants to teaching, the cap on qualification allowances for new entrants to teaching and the abolition of qualification allowances for new entrants to teach- ing; if he will provide specific information on the number of teachers who commenced teaching between 1 January, 2011 and 5 December, 2011 at both primary level and at second level; the number of teachers who commenced teaching between 6 December 2011 and 31 January 2012 at both primary level and at second level; and the number of teachers who commenced teaching after 31 January 2012 at both primary level and at second level. [43111/12] 09/10/2012WRA01000Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): The number of new appoin- tees paid for the first time on the Department’s payrolls in the period from the first of January 2011 to the 5th December 2011 was one thousand six hundred and two primary teachers and one thousand eight hundred and eleven teachers in secondary and community/ comprehensive schools. The figures in the period from the 6th December 2011 to the 31st January 2012 were one hundred and seventy three and two hundred and fifty seven respectively. The number paid from the 1st February 2012 to date is one thousand one hundred and fifteen primary teachers and nine hundred and twenty teachers in secondary and community 577 Questions - Written Answers comprehensive schools. The figures include all categories of teachers (substitute, part-time, temporary and perma- nent) appointed during the periods in question. Teachers appointed in the period 6 December 2011 to 31 January 2012 received basic pay as of the 1/1/2011 basic pay rate and qualification allowances to a maximum of the rate of an honours primary degree (€4,426). Teachers appointed from the 1st February 2012 to date received basic pay as of the 1/1/2011 basic pay rate only. Question No. 61 answered with Question No. 53. Bullying in Schools 09/10/2012WRA0120062. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Education and Skills the extent to which he continues to be made aware of incidents of all forms of school bullying including bullying of a physical, psychological and or electronic nature at primary and or second level schools throughout the country; if he favours any particular initiatives or strategies to identify and confront such incidents at an early stage; if studies have been done of such incidents which might illustrate particular issues arising and needing attention with a view to ensuring that chil- dren or students have access to supportive and preventative structures and facilities; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42999/12] 09/10/2012WRA01300Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I am fully aware of the seri- ousness of the issue of bullying and it was for that reason that an Anti-Bullying Forum was held in May this year. As a follow on to that Forum, I invited the stakeholders and any other interested parties to submit their views on this important topic to my Department by 29th June 2012. As part of this consultation, interested parties were requested to indicate their views and proposals on any changes to existing practices and policies in schools that could improve how bullying can be tackled in schools. As I have already outlined to the House, I have also recently established a working group to address the issue of tackling bullying in schools. During the course of its work, the working group will be considering the outcomes from the recent Anti-Bullying Forum and the views received from interested parties in the subsequent consultation process. School Staffing 09/10/2012WRA0140063. Deputy Seamus Kirk asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any con- cerns regarding the casualisation of the teaching profession at post primary level and the high numbers of second level teachers who are on short term temporary contracts; the measures he will take to address this issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43068/12] 09/10/2012WRA01500Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): The issue of the use of tem- porary contracts in the teaching profession and the numbers who are on temporary or short term contracts at post primary level has been the subject of much comment and debate. My Depart- ment has committed to a process of engagement with teacher unions and management bodies to explore the scale of this issue, causal factors and options for future developments. 578 Tuesday 9 October 2012 Pupil-Teacher Ratio 09/10/2012WRA0160064. Deputy Pádraig Mac Lochlainn asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will respond to the figures (details supplied) which show that 112,821 pupils were in classes of 30 or more for the last school year; and his plans to address the rise in primary school class sizes and increase in pupil teacher ratios resulting from cutbacks and an increasing school popula- tion. [43104/12] 09/10/2012WRA01700Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): The context for any discus- sion about class sizes is that my Department, like all other Government Departments, is oper- ating within a budgetary programme that is designed to return the Government finances to a sustainable basis. My focus is on ensuring we have school places and teachers for all the additional pupils entering our schools each year. There is no scope to give any consideration to the provision of additional teachers in order to reduce class sizes. Classroom teachers are currently allocated under the published Staffing Schedule on the ba- sis of a general average of 1 teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My Department’s guidance to schools is that variations in class sizes should be kept to the minimum. Educational Disadvantage 09/10/2012WRA0180065. Deputy Robert Troy asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will ensure that all educational disadvantage schemes and supports are protected in Budget 2013; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43079/12] 09/10/2012WRA01900Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I do not propose to give any specific commitment on future budgetary decisions. This is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme. The government will of course try to ensure all budget deci- sions are as fair and equitable as possible but I cannot give specific commitments here today. DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the Action Plan for Educational In- clusion remains my Department’s policy instrument to address educational disadvantage which focuses on addressing and prioritising the educational needs of children and young people from disadvantaged communities, from pre-school through second-level education.It should be re- membered that over 50% of disadvantaged students do not actually attend DEIS schools. A key focus of the Government’s education policy is to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk and to optimise access, participation and outcomes at every level of the sys- tem for disadvantaged groups. Therefore it is my intention that the additional resources avail- able to DEIS schools are utilised to optimum benefit to achieve identified outcomes for the most at risk pupils. School Staffing 09/10/2012WRA0200066. Deputy John Halligan asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any con- cerns that cuts on newly qualified teachers will have a detrimental effect on both their morale 579 Questions - Written Answers and the willingness of young persons to enter such a low paid profession; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43050/12] 09/10/2012WRA0210070. Deputy Charlie McConalogue asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has any concerns that progress made over the past decade in attracting our brightest and most quali- fied young persons to the teaching profession will be eliminated as a result of cuts to qualifica- tion allowances; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43051/12] 09/10/2012WRA02200Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I propose to take Questions Nos. 66 and 70 together. As I have indicated earlier, it is neither possible nor appropriate to attempt to separate mea- sures such as those impacting on the pay of new entrants from their context. These measures have to be viewed against the backdrop of a very serious financial and budgetary situation. They reflect a position where this country has lost its economic sovereignty and no longer has full control over its economic affairs. Reductions in the pay of new entrant public servants, including teachers, date back to the last Government. More recently, this Government has made further adjustments on foot of the allowances review.