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Dáil Debates & Questions
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24 May 2011
Parliamentary Questions
PARLIAMENTARY QUESTIONS Deputy Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin (SF): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if the certificate course in leadership and advocacy at Dundalk IT, which caters for students with an intellectual disability across the north-east region, will be maintained and the required grants for its continuation be provided into the future; Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): My Department has no role in the provision of funding for the Certificate Course in Leadership and Advocacy at Dundalk Institute of Technology. In addition, the Institute does not accredit the course but it does provide classroom facilities, assists with student selection at the beginning of each course and facilitates a graduation ceremony at the end of the programme. I understand that the course was funded by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform until 2008. Since that time the course was funded by Meath Intellectual Disability Work Advocacy and You Ltd (Midway Services) in the North East, which is a voluntary organisation part-funded by the HSE. I also understand that, as a result of reduced HSE funding, Midway Services is no longer in a position to continue to provide the course at this time. In the circumstances, the Deputies may wish to raise this matter with the HSE.
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF): asked the Minister for Social Protection if she will advise the Citizens Information Board that they should include a heading of disability on their homepage under which all potential entitlements for children and adults with disabilities could be grouped. Minister for Social Protection (Deputy Joan Burton): The citizens information website is divided into fourteen categories, which are all accessible from the www.citizensinformation.ie homepage: Birth, Family and Relationships; Consumer Affairs; Death and Bereavement; Education and Training; Employment; Environment; Government in Ireland; Health; Housing; Justice; Money and Tax; Moving Country; Social Welfare; and Travel and Recreation. Information for people with disabilities is integrated into the website’s main categories. For example, information on disability allowance can be found in the “Disability and Illness” section in the Social Welfare category, and information on the motorised transport grant can be found in the “Transport and disability” section in the Travel and Recreation category. There are also a number of documents that aim to cut across the website’s categories and provide an overview of a particular area such as the “Caring for a child with a disability” and “Working with a disability” documents. A checklist is also included which references relevant information in the areas of social welfare, transport and mobility, work, education and training, health services and taxation. The publication “Entitlements for People with Disabilities”, which was updated in 2010, and a new publication “Entitlements for children with disabilities” are also available on the Citizens Information Board website www.citizensinformationboard.ie. In addition, the www.assistireland.ie website is a comprehensive, online database of assistive technologies and suppliers. However, in order to improve access and provide multiple paths to information on the website the Citizens Information Board is currently working on the development of checklists for various categories of people, including people with disabilities. The checklists will help people to navigate the site by having an overview of all potential entitlements relevant to their particular circumstances and a link to the relevant sections of the website.
Deputy Michael Healy-Rae (I): asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he will have arrangements made for all major and big hotels here be requested to have available one bedroom that would be fully disabled person friendly. Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan): Part M (Access for People with Disabilities) of the Second Schedule to the Building Regulations, as amended, makes provision for the access and use of buildings, including hotels, by people with disabilities. Building Regulations apply to new buildings and, in certain circumstances, to works involving an extension, material alteration or material change of use to an existing building. Specific guidance on how a hotel can comply with its obligations under Part M is set out in TGD-M, with specific provisions included in section 1.18. In general terms, one guest bedroom out of every twenty is required to be suitable in terms of size, layout and facilities for independent use by a wheelchair user. Part M/TGD-M of the Building Regulations has recently been reviewed and the revised requirements and guidance will come into effect from 1 January 2012. Guidance in relation to accessible sleeping accommodation, in particular, has been considerably enhanced.
Deputy Seán Kenny asked the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government regarding the national disability strategy, the Disability Act 2005 and sectoral plans, if funding is being provided in 2011 for local authorities to carry out accessibility audits and specific improvements in this area as applied in recent years. Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government (Deputy Phil Hogan): In accordance with my Department’s Sectoral Plan, under the Disability Act 2005, all local authorities were required to carry out an accessibility audit in respect of all public spaces, public buildings and services owned and operated by them. Local authorities were then required to draw up implementation plans setting out a programme of works to address any issues identified through the audit process. My Department provided over €77 million, between 2005 and 2010, to assist local authorities in improving access to public spaces, buildings and services for people with disabilities. Funding was allocated annually, for purposes of Disability Services, to local authorities, on the basis of priority areas identified by them in implementation plans. There is no provision for Disability Services in my Department’s estimates in 2011.
Deputy Aengus Ó Snodaigh (SF): asked the Minister for Health and Children the month he expects the review of the efficiency and effectiveness of disability services funded from the health vote to be finalised and published. Minister of State at the Department of Health and Children (Deputy Kathleen Lynch): My Department is engaged in a Value for Money and Policy Review of Disability Services as part of the Government’s Value for Money Reviews for 2009-2011. This in-depth review will assess how well current services for people with disabilities are meeting their objectives and support the future planning and development of services within the appropriate policy framework. The objectives of the Review are to: Examine disability services in Ireland funded by the HSE, including the statutory and non-statutory sectors. Deliver a comprehensive analysis of data in relation to services and service providers. Review current policy objectives and provide policy objectives for future service provision. Based on current estimates of the work remaining to complete the review, I expect the report to be finalised in November, 2011 after which it will be submitted to the Government for its consideration and publication in due course.
Deputy Peter Mathews (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will increase funding for an academy (details supplied) in Dublin 13; Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): It is understood that the Deputy’s question refers to a proposal for an academy for children with autism which was submitted to my Department for consideration by an organisation in Dublin 13. My Department will respond to the submitted proposal in the near future. The Deputy will be aware that my Department has no direct funding arrangements with the group in question. Consideration of this proposal will take account of my Department’s policy in this regard, which 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. Twelve schools have opened and the remaining school is 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.
Deputy Brendan Griffin (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will facilitate the transfer of children with special needs into primary, secondary school or different settings by easing the cap on the allocation of special needs assistants and resource teachers; 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 teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department’s criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts as well as a temporary suspension of the allocation of additional resource teaching support hours. In respect of SNA support, the NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of SNA support to eligible schools. The NCSE has asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and intends to inform schools of their annual SNA allocation as soon as possible, in advance of the coming school year. In respect of resource teaching support, the NCSE has issued a Circular to schools advising them that the final date for schools to submit any outstanding, completed, applications for resource teaching supports was 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. In the interim, children who are eligible for resource/ learning support teaching can receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools.
Deputy Mick Wallace (I): asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding a school (details supplied) in County Wexford which is awaiting clarification as to its allocation of special needs assistants for September 2011; 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 teachers and Special Needs Assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department’s criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the NCSE to have regard to an overall cap on the number of SNA posts. The NCSE has issued a circular to all schools advising of the allocation process for the 2011/2012 school year. A key feature of the amended scheme will be to provide for an annual allocation of Special Needs Assistant support to eligible schools. The NCSE asked schools to submit all applications for SNA support to them by 18th March, 2011 and intend to inform schools of their annual SNA allocation as soon as possible, in advance of the coming school year.
Deputy Charles Flanagan (FG): asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the issue of meeting the needs of children with Specific Speech and Language Disorder, SSLD; if he considers it desirable that additional capitation grants to schools should be ringfenced and used to meet the needs of those children on whose behalf it is given, particularly in the matter of enhanced rates of capitation funding paid in respect of children with special education needs, who attend special schools or special classes attached to mainstream schools; if he will consider reducing the flexibility and discretion to schools in respect of the targeting of this funding; Minister for Education and Skills (Deputy Ruairí Quinn): I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD). My Department provides for the establishment of special classes for Specific Speech and Language Disorder in primary schools. Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school’s assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) and those meeting the criteria for establishment are approved by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE). A full-time teacher is assigned to each class, and classes operate with a reduced pupil-teacher ratio of 7:1. Speech and language therapy services are provided to these classes by the Health Service Executive (HSE). An enhanced capitation grant is provided to schools operating special classes for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder. The current rate is €912 per pupil. In circumstances where a child who meets the criteria for Specific Speech and Language Disorder as outlined in my Department’s Circular 0038/2007 and who is not enrolled in a special class for SSLD may qualify for additional teaching support where he/she is enrolled in mainstream school. Applications for such support may be made to the NCSE through the local SENO. Pupils with mild speech and language difficulties may qualify for supplementary teaching support from within the school’s general allocation of learning support/teaching support. The Deputy is aware that enhanced rates of capitation funding are paid in respect of children with special educational needs who attend special schools or special classes attached to mainstream schools. Increases in recent years in these enhanced rates have brought the top rate up to over €900 per pupil in comparison with the standard capitation rate of €190 per pupil. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department’s Circulars 40/2009 and 48/2009 clarify issues relating to the allocation of funding for schools. Schools have flexibility and discretion on how to target funding to the school’s own priorities, based on its knowledge and understanding of the needs of the students it serves
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Inclusion
Ireland, Unit C2, The Steelworks, Foley Street, Dublin 1, Ireland.
Tel: 01 8559891 Fax: 01 8559904 Email: info@inclusionireland.ie |