12 April 2011

Parliamentary Questions

• ABA Academy
• Review of Fair Deal Scheme
• Changes to school transport system
• Application process for resource hours

PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS

• ABA Academy

Deputy Aodhán Ó Ríordáin (L): asked the Minister for Education and Skills    if he will support the request from an organisation (details supplied) for funding for a new academy to address the educational and developmental needs of children with autism within the framework of an applied behaviour analysis (ABA) environment;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  I wish to advise the Deputy that a proposal for an academy for children with autism has been received by officials in my Department who will revert to the organisation in question shortly. However it is important to emphasise that the proposal will be considered in the context of my Department’s policy in this regard.

My Department’s policy is focused on ensuring that all children including those with autism can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers who may draw from a range of autism-specific interventions, including ABA, special needs assistants, and the appropriate school curriculum with the option where possible of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils. As each child with autism is unique it is important that children have access to a range of interventions so their broader needs can be met.

My Department’s policy is to provide for children with special educational needs, including autism, to be included in mainstream schools unless such a placement would not be in their best interests or the interests of the children with whom they are to be educated. Some children may be supported in a special class attached to a mainstream school. These students have the option, where appropriate, of full/partial integration and interaction with other pupils. Other children may have such complex needs that they are best placed in a special school. Students with special educational needs have access to a range of support services including additional teaching and/or care supports. In special schools and special classes, students are supported through lower pupil teacher ratios. Special needs assistants may also be recruited specifically where pupils with disabilities and significant care needs are enrolled. Reflective of the important role of continuing professional development my Department has put in place a training programme for teachers in autism-specific interventions including Treatment and Education of Autistic Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH), Picture Exchange Communications System (PECS) and Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) through the Special Education Support Service. The Deputy will be familiar with the ABA pilot scheme which was funded by my Department for the past decade. All of the centres which participated in this scheme have been granted recognition as special schools for children with autism. These schools will operate in line with my Department’s policy. I am pleased to update the Deputy that following their recognition the new schools are currently progressing well in the transitional phase. Eight schools have opened and the remaining five are scheduled to open shortly. It is my intention to continue to support this transitional process. The pilot scheme was established in the absence of a network of school-based special classes for children with autism which is now available. The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of this network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. In excess of 430 classes have now been approved around the country at primary and post primary level, including many in special schools.

• Review of Fair Deal Scheme

Deputy Brian Stanley (SF): asked the Minister for Health and Children    when he will initiate a review of the fair deal nursing home care scheme; when the review will be concluded; the factors of analysis that will be considered in the review; if the feasibility of inclusion of therapy services under the National Treatment Purchase Fund contract will be included in the review;

Minister for Health and Children (Deputy James Reilly):  The Nursing Homes Support Scheme, A Fair Deal, is due to be reviewed three years from the date of its introduction. The scheme commenced in October 2009, therefore it will be due for review in October 2012. The reason for the three year timespan is to allow the scheme become fully operational and have sufficient data available on which to base a review. All elements of the scheme will be considered including ongoing sustainability and the extension of the scheme to other long-term residential care sectors such as disability and mental health. With regard to the inclusion of therapies under the scheme, in determining the services covered by the Nursing Homes Support Scheme, it was considered very important that the care recipient and the taxpayer would be protected and would not end up paying for the same services twice. For this reason, goods and services that are already prescribed for individuals under existing schemes, such as the Medical Card Scheme or the Drugs Payment Scheme, are not included in the services covered by the Nursing Homes Support Scheme as this would involve effectively paying twice for the same items or service. It is important to note that a person’s eligibility for the Medical Card / Drugs Payment Schemes is unaffected by the Nursing Homes Support Scheme. In other words, a person can continue to receive goods and services in accordance with the terms of these other schemes regardless of whether they are in a nursing home or elsewhere.

• Changes to school transport system

Deputy Timmy Dooley (FF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills    the changes he proposes to make to the current school transport scheme;

Minister of State at the Department of Education and Skills (Deputy Ciarán Cannon):  The changes to the school transport scheme were announced in the 2011 Budget by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and derive from a recommendation in the recently published Value for Money Review of the scheme. From the beginning of the 2011/12 school year a €50 charge, which applies to all eligible primary pupils, is being introduced to ensure that school transport provided for these pupils is fully utilised in a cost efficient manner. The annual charge for post-primary pupils will also be increased by €50 from €300 to €350. Eligible pupils holding medical cards and pupils with special educational needs will be exempted from paying the charge. In addition, the maximum family charge at primary level for eligible pupils will be €110 while the overall combined maximum charge per family is not being increased from the current rate of €650 per annum. Parents will continue to be given the option of spreading the annual payments over two instalments in July and December. The changes to school transport provision under the Closed School Rule means that the distance criteria will be applied uniformly and equitably on a national basis. From the 2012/2013 school year, school transport eligibility for all pupils newly entering national schools will be determined by reference to the nearest national school, having regard to ethos and language. Existing eligible primary pupils availing of transport under the Closed School Rule will retain transport eligibility for the duration of their schooling, provided the requisite distance is met. Services under the minimum numbers, either single services or which are part of double tripping arrangements, will be discontinued. A pick up density of 10 eligible pupils in a distinct locality on a particular route will be required to establish or retain services. From the 2012/13 school year, the use of the catchment boundary system will cease for all new post-primary children. Eligibility for all new children entering post-primary transport will be on the basis of the nearest post-primary centre or school. Existing arrangements will remain in place for existing post primary pupils for the duration of their schooling. Finally, new arrangements will be put in place with Bus Éireann on a phased basis for the operation of the scheme. Given the major financial constraints facing the country, I cannot reverse the changes to school transport as announced by the previous government in Budget 2011. We all have to understand the legacy of economic mismanagement which the last Government gave to the country.

• Application process for resource hours

Deputy Joe McHugh (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills    the position regarding an application process for resource hours for vulnerable children;

Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn):  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. There has therefore not been a reduction in the overall number of resource hours/posts being provided for in 2011. The DES has requested the National Council for Special Education (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. In the interim, children who are eligible for resource/ learning support teaching will receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools, either though the General Allocation Model or existing Learning Support provision.

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