11 May 2011

Parliamentary Questions

• Amend Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme
• Funding to Jack and Jill Foundation
• Allocation of special needs resource teachers for the school year 2011-2012

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• Amend Housing Adaptation Grants Scheme

Deputy Seán Ó Fearghaíl (FF): asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to amend the grant schemes which provide support for the adaptation or improvement of homes occupied by elderly or disabled persons; if he will consider putting in place a multi-annual funding stream for local authorities in order to achieve more efficient use of resources;

Minister of State at the Department of the Environment; Community and Local Government (Deputy Willie Penrose):  My Department’s involvement with the Housing Adaptation Grant Schemes for Older People and People with a Disability relates primarily to the recoupment of a proportion of local authority expenditure on the payment of individual grants. The grant schemes, introduced in November 2007, are funded by 80% recoupment available from my Department together with a 20% contribution from the resources of the local authority. The detailed administration of the schemes, including the assessment and approval of applications, is the responsibility of the relevant local authority. At my Department’s request, the Centre for Housing Research carried out an evaluation of the grant schemes in consultation with stakeholders, including the local authorities, representative organisations for older people and persons with a disability, and with a cross-section of grant applicants. The need for revised guidelines with regard to the payment of grants by local authorities to approved applicants will be considered in the light of the evaluation report. To provide for continuity in the processing of applications and the payment of grants under the various grant measures, local authorities were advised by my Department that they could commit up to 50% of their current year allocation in respect of grant payments falling due in the following year.

• Funding to Jack and Jill Foundation

Deputy Michael Healy-Rae (I): asked the Minister for Health and Children    his views on a matter (details supplied) regarding funding.

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy James Reilly): The Health Service Executive (HSE) is happy to consider the Jack and Jill Report - “There’s no place like home” as part of its engagement with the Foundation. Neither my Department or the HSE were involved in the preparation of the report. I would agree, in general, that children’s needs are most appropriately met and provided in the home. We also need to ensure that there is more efficient use of resources. Many children availing of services provided by the Jack and Jill Foundation also avail of other disability services. The report did not compare the respective costs of the home based care provided by the Foundation with the cost of similar services provided by the HSE. I can assure the Deputy that the HSE will continue to fund the Jack and Jill Foundation in 2011. The HSE is working with the Jack and Jill Foundation to identify and prioritise the needs of the children on a case-by-case basis and will ensure that no child is hospitalised for want of adequate home support, provided by the Jack and Jill Foundation or by the HSE. My Department is undertaking a review of the efficiency and effectiveness of the health and personal social services provided to people with disabilities. This review is part of the Government’s Value for Money and Policy Review Programme. The review will focus, in particular, on the scope for achieving greater efficiency and effectiveness from the substantial resources expended on services for people with disabilities and will support the future planning and development of such services.

• Allocation of special needs resource teachers for the school year 2011-2012

Deputy Brendan Ryan (L): asked the Minister for Education and Skills with a view to planning for the next school year, when school principals will be made aware of their allocation of special needs resource teachers for the school year 2011-2012;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teaching hours to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department’s criteria in allocating such support. The Deputy will be aware that the Department of Education and Skills (DES) is required to ensure that the overall allocation of teaching posts does not exceed the targets set out in the Governments Employment Control Framework.

The DES had planned for a certain amount of increased growth in teacher numbers across the school sector in 2011, in line with increased demographic growth. In respect of resource teaching hours for children with special educational needs, allowance was made for growth in 2011 over and above normal demographic increase levels. In 2010, the total number of Whole time Equivalent (WTE) posts provided for resource hours teaching (including under the General Allocation Model) was approximately 9,600 WTE posts. By comparison approximately 9,950 WTE posts are provided for 2011. My Department requested the NCSE to provide data on the numbers and rate of application for additional resource teaching hours to date this year so that this information can be considered in the context of the Departments Employment Control Framework obligations. The NCSE has also been asked to pause sanctioning additional resource teaching support hours to allow for collection and consideration of this data by the DES, in conjunction with the NCSE. It should be noted that this is a temporary suspension of the allocation process in order to allow for consideration and analysis of this issue prior to any decisions being made. The NCSE issued a Circular to schools advising them that the final date for schools to submit any outstanding, completed, applications for resource teaching supports is 13th May 2011. On receipt of all outstanding applications the DES and NCSE will be in a position to consider resource allocation for the coming school year, in the context of the Departments Employment Control Framework obligations. Schools will be notified of their allocations as soon as possible.

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