I thank the Deputy for his questions. I am sorry that I will not get to the other pertinent questions from the other Deputies but I will try to answer these three as quickly as possible. In a normal year, 650 schools are eligible for July provision, including up to 126 special schools, as well as schools with special educational needs, SEN, based tuition. It was always 650 schools. Last year more than 200 schools applied and this year 200 did. I am absolutely delighted with the level of response and positivity comi…

My ambition is clear as I want to facilitate as many children with special needs as possible in summer provision. Traditionally, 70% of students go for home-based tuition and I cited 24,000 as the maximum number that could apply. Currently, we have nearly 10,000 and another 2,300 have been signed up to the Health Service Executive programme. I am still confident that more could sign up as the days go on. Let us be very clear. The Deputy stood up in this House and said only four or five schools would sign up. That t…

Approximately 200 schools have registered for this and I thank every one of those schools for the work done. It is correct that they need the proper information and the guidelines must be right with respect to student and teacher safety. Last year, a grant was awarded directly to people with Down's syndrome for primary and post-primary education. This year, we have included primary education in the summer programme and we are engaging with Down Syndrome Ireland to ensure every post-primary student with Down's syndr…

I will deal with the last point first in respect of SNAs. I wish to publicly thank the SNAs for their ongoing work over the past months since 12 March. Somebody who spoke earlier was correct in saying that the school buildings may have closed but, like that of the teachers, the work continued. One of the additional features of the summer provision this year compared with July provision is that parents of children with Down's syndrome, autism or severe and profound intellectual disabilities and moderate intellectual…

I will rattle through those questions. Deputy Dillon raised the issue of the fifth year post-primary students. It has been raised a number of times in this House and it is something I am conscious of in terms of their own loss. It was not just about the leaving certificate students of 2020; it was the leaving certificate group of 2021. In terms of what we are doing in that instance and what is ongoing, discussions are taking place between the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and Department of Educatio…

I thank the Deputy. His comments included seven questions. My time might be a bit short but I will give it a go. We are not alone in our ambition to fully open schools. I was on a conference call with ministers from Northern Ireland, France and Denmark yesterday. Their ambition is to fully open schools in the new term. At the end of the day, there will still have to be guidance on how to adapt to the new world of Covid-19. In common with our most senior citizens, young people take social distancing very seriously. …

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Teachta as an dá cheist. Bhain an chéad cheist leis an chostas agus an buiséad chun na bunscoileanna agus na meánscoileanna a oscailt i mí Mheán Fómhair. Tá an ceart aige. Beidh costas níos airde i gceist. Is é sin an fáth go bhfuil comhrá ar bun idir an Roinn Caiteachais Phoiblí agus Athchóirithe agus mo Roinn féin maidir leis an phlean. Is é sin an chéad bhealach. Ach is é an dara bealach ná, nuair atá an plean le chéile agus muid ag breathnú ar an reachtaíocht, na pleananna atá againn fá…

I am happy to do so. The Deputy raised a number of issues and asked why we do not have the guidelines today. We do not have them today because the engagement with stakeholders is happening tomorrow. A central ingredient in this process, whether it relates to the junior cycle, cancelling written examinations or calculated grades, was to get buy-in from stakeholders. It has been an incredibly positive process which will continue, and it is the only way that we will get to the other side for September. The Deputy is c…

What was the question?

Regarding the safe reopening of schools, at the heart of any decision will be the fact that the advice is clear. The advice we get from NPHET, and the advice we have always been getting, has been based on the safety of our citizens. It will be no different for schools. It will have to be safe and no Minister is going to make a decision that would put students or teaching staff in jeopardy. That is not the case. Ambition is important, as is hope. Deputy Boyd Barrett referred to creating hope. We have to hope that we…

The Deputy has raised an important issue, and it is one on which I have had representation from the Acting Chairman, Deputy Lahart, as well as my party colleague, Deputy Brophy. I have asked my officials to give priority to this issue. The Deputy is correct to state that there are ongoing discussions to look at a potential solution. We are still in that space, but I am happy to go back again to my officials today after this issue has been raised, because it is an important matter.

I thank the Deputy for asking these specific questions. His asked when the written leaving certificate examinations will be held. They will be held this year and the earliest possible date for that is November. I stated publicly that I would like those examinations to be held during the Hallowe'en break in October. They cannot be held in August because the calculated grades will not be out until then. There is an enormous process now to be gone through. The opt-in option for people who are engaging in the calculate…

The first matter the Deputy raised was on monetary guarantees. There is going to be a cost involved but I reassure the Deputy that discussions with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform are ongoing and before there is any conclusion as to how school reopening will look in September, there will have to be financial commitments from that Department. That will happen. I take the Deputy's point on the special needs issue. It has been difficult. The last three months have been difficult for people in different…

I can assure the Deputy that the Department is not stale. There are 1,300 people working there and over the last three months they have been faced with unprecedented challenges. They showed amazing resilience and had the ability to be creative as well. On the issue the Deputy raised in respect of operators outside the Bus Éireann contract, he is correct that it is the Bus Éireann-contracted private operators who get the 50%. There was an issue and I know it was raised in my own county. We have a contract as a Depar…

The matter of external candidates has been raised by several Deputies. External candidates will be asked to opt in. That will be in about two weeks. I advise those candidates that as part of the process of opting in they will have to register an account of how they were being taught, who was teaching them and as much detail as possible as part of opting in. That will feed into the calculated grade and how the student progresses. The Deputy asked about a grind school with a registered teacher. Absolutely, if a regis…

Yes, but if it is a registered teacher or a retired teacher, for example, whose registration may have lapsed, they will be in the position. The person will also have to provide data on when the tuition was provided and over what period. Hopefully that is of some help. Many Deputies have raised the retention of teachers. This was a year for the schools to hold onto the teachers but when the teachers know that the numbers are not going to be there for a given year, they move on and many of them have been reappointed …

I thank the Acting Chairman for his indulgence. I covered much of it in subsequent interventions. I did attend a virtual meeting of European Ministers for education yesterday where we shared the latest updates and plans for reopening across Europe and the things learned and experienced in other jurisdictions continue to shape the development of our own detailed guidance. We are now beginning to see how the public health guidance is starting to evolve in other jurisdictions as progress is made in suppressing the Cov…

Gabhaim buíochas leis an Cheann Comhairle as a chuidiú agus gabhaim buíochas leis an Choiste Gnó fosta fá choinne an t-am a ofráil inniu. Táim fíorbhuíoch as sin toisc go raibh mé ábalta Dún na nGall a fhágáil chun dul go dtí Teach Laighean ar maidin agus beidh mé ábalta dul a luí i nDún na nGall anocht fosta. A Cheann Comhairle, today's session will focus on the provision of a summer programme and the steps I intend to take to support those students with significant special educational needs and those who are at g…

As the Deputy will be aware, this is a voluntary scheme. The July provision programme always was voluntary. It depends on demand so once we announce the guidelines on Friday there will be an opportunity for the parents to register with the Department in the first instance. That is the most fundamental part of this proposal. It is a scaled up proposal. It is not based on the July provision programme last year for 10,000 students. We are looking at doubling that. We are looking at the possibility of going a stage fur…

We can continue to have the conversation here about what the Deputy is looking for and the information the parents are looking for this Friday. We will have the guidelines on Friday. I am bringing them to Cabinet. We will have the final guidelines and details. It will be an expanded scheme. As the Deputy knows, last week I announced I wanted to include Down's syndrome in the scheme, and it will be included. We are also looking at incorporating school completion, for example, and expanding the literacy and numeracy …