Loan Scheme for Third Level Students
Delay in Swimming Pool Projects
Case Studies Multi-Use Public-Private Sports Facilities
Grants for Student Teachers

Order No. 

Ref No.     

Date:

27|02|03

Education and Science:

Priority Question           

Question:
To ask the Minister for Education and Science the position regarding the report he commissioned in regard to the possible reintroduction of third level fees and the possible introduction of a loan scheme for students similar to that used in Australia.

Reply:
A review of student support provisions is being undertaken within my Department with the aim of ensuring that the benefits of the substantial investment being made are maximized, in accordance with the following terms of reference:

"To review the present system of tuition fees and student supports, having regard to international experience, in order to provide options for the Minister's consideration with a view to ensuring greater equity in access to and participation in higher education."

The review will consider various options, and will include a review of schemes in operation in many OECD countries.

Officials of my Department are conducting the review. However, some issues require the engagement of external expertise. In this regard, the Economic and Social Research Institute has undertaken work to enable my Department to estimate the cost of various options.

Relevant recently published reports will also inform the work of the review group.It is anticipated that the review will be submitted for my attention in the very near future.When I have had an opportunity to consider the contents of the review I will bring the matter to cabinet.

Order No. 

Ref No.     

Date:

26|02|03

Arts, Sports and Tourism:

Oral Question           

Question:
To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism the situation regarding the publication of guidelines on public private partnership which has held up swimming pool projects with local authorities due to the delay in publication.

Reply:
The inter-departmental working group on a public private partnership, PPP, approach to the provision of swimming pools under the local authority swimming pool programme has furnished a report to my Department.

The report has been under consideration in the Department in the context of recent developments in the area of PPPs, including the agreement of a national PPP policy framework, which sets out principles which must underpin the PPP process in Ireland and the State Authorities (Public Private Partnership Arrangements) Act 2002, the primary purpose of which was to remove any doubt as to the authority of State authorities to enter into PPPs.

From 2000, under the current local authority swimming pool programme, a total of 55 applications for assistance, which had to be submitted prior to 31 July 2000, are being processed. Ten have been or will be shortly completed, two are on site and a further 43 are at various stages of development.

To assist the Department is formulating future policy on swimming pools, my Department will undertake an expenditure review of the local authority swimming pool programme this year. This review will examine, among other things, how the programme has worked to date, the benefits which have accrued to the areas where pools have been built through the existing programme, initiatives aimed at managing the current level of indebtedness and amendments, if any, which may be required to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of the [programme. In that context and in consultation with the Department of Environment and Local Government, the potential of a public private partnership approach to swimming pool provision by local authorities will be considered.

Multi-Use Public-Private Sports Facilities

To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if his Department has plans to develop or fund multi-use public-private sports facilities in conjunction with local authorities.

For ORAL answer on Thursday, 27th february, 2003.

Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (Mr. O'Donoghue)

Under the national lottery-funded sports capital programme administered by my Department, funding is allocated to projects directly related to the provision of sports and recreational facilities at local, regional and national level. While the majority of the funding allocated under the Programme is provided to voluntary and community groups, there is provision in the Programme for applications to be submitted by Local Authorities. For example, under the 2002 programme grants to the value of over €9.2 million were awarded to some 29 projects either directly to local authorities or for projects where the local authority was working in partnership with a sports club or a community organisation.

In terms of multi-purpose sports complexes available to the wider community, it has been a deliberate policy of the programme, particularly in the past two years, to fund a number of such multi-sport centres under the management and control of, and located on sites owned by; local authorities, keeping in mind the existing facilities in a region. Of course such applications must, like all others, meet the terms and conditions of the sports capital programme.

Some such sports centre projects include those for Finglas, Waterford City, Navan, Ballymun, Carlow, Letterkenny and Portlaoise. Significant contributions towards the estimated cost of these projects were made by my Department on the basis that the local authorities involved would be able to raise the balance of the funding required for their completion. Certainly, I would encourage them and those local authorities planning similar facilities in the future to consider securing private sector funding proposals to assist in completing such projects.

Of the multi-purpose sports centres listed above, those for Ballymun, Finglas, Letterkenny and Portlaoise, apart from securing funding through the sports capital programme, plan to include swimming pools as part of their overall sports complex and have also applied for funding under the local authority swimming pool programme to that end. The Deputy will be aware that under this programme grants are available towards the development of new pools or the refurbishment of existing pools. The maximum grant available is 80% of the eligible cost of the project or, in disadvantaged areas 90% of it, up to a maximum of €3.8 million. Currently there are 43 projects at various stages of development under the programme.

In the overall context of the provision of sports facilities throughout the country, and in building on the substantial investment this and the previous Government has made in this area, which includes allocating over €213 million to 2,900 projects under the sports capital programme and over €57 million under the local authority swimming pool programme, this Government intends to put in place a long-term strategic plan to ensure the development of sports facilities throughout the country. It is envisaged that a national audit of local sports facilities will also be undertaken in tandem with the development of the long-term strategy. An inter-agency steering group will be set up by the middle of this year to devise the long-term strategy for the development of sports facilities. This group will include members from a number of Government departments engaged in funding sport and recreational facilities and will examine further ways to ensure a strategic approach to facility provision.

I would hope that the strategic plan for the funding of facilities will be in place for the 2004 sports capital programme.

Order No. 

Ref No.     

Date:

27|03|03

ARts, Sports and Tourism:

Oral Question               

Question:
To ask the Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism if any case studies exist here in relation to the construction in the past five years of multi-use sports and educational facilities where school facilities are used by the community or sporting organisations on a formal basis.

Reply:
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism (John O'Donoghue): The national lottery-funded sports capital programme, which is administered by my Department, allocates funding to sporting and community organisations and, in certain circumstances, schools and colleges, throughout the country. Projects must be directly related to the provision of sport and recreation facilities and be of a capital nature, which, for the purpose of the programme, is defined as

expenditure on the improvement or construction of an asset and includes any costs directly incurred in this process; and purchase of permanently based sports equipment, i.e. it is securely housed, and will remain in use for 5 years or more.
Applications to the programme from schools and colleges must be made jointly with local sports clubs or community groups and must:

provide for significant levels of usage by the local community during periods when the facilities are not being used by the school itself (at least 30 hours per week throughout the year)

demonstrate that the facilities concerned will meet an identified deficiency in that locality, as formally agreed with other local groups and|or the Local Authority.

The provision of facilities in this way in educational establishments is in keeping with the stated aims and objectives of the programme, which include:
developing an integrated and planned approach to the development of sport and recreational facilities;

assisting organisations with the development of appropriate facilities in appropriate locations that will maximise use in terms of participation in sport and recreation; and encouraging the multi-purpose use of facilities.

Since 1998, over €213 million has been allocated to more than 2,900 projects under the sports capital programme. In order to build on this substantial investment and to meet the ongoing demands of what is now a very complex and sophisticated sector, this Government intends to put in place a long-term strategic plan to ensure the development of sports facilities throughout the country.

The process, which will lead to meeting that commitment, has commenced with a review of the existing sports capital programme under the Department's Expenditure review programme which will be followed by the preparation of a long-term strategy for the development of sporting facilities. It is envisaged that a national audit of local sports facilities will also be undertaken in tandem with the development of the long-term strategy.

An inter-agency steering group will be set up to devise this long-term strategy for the development of sports facilities. This group will include members from a number of Government departments engaged in funding sport and recreational facilities, including the Department of Education and Science, and will examine further ways to ensure a strategic approach to facility provision.

While I am aware of very successful arrangements for the usage of school facilities by local communities throughout the country I am not aware of any case studies relating to the matter raised by the Deputy.

Order No. 

Ref No.     

Date:

27|03|03

Education and Science:

Oral Question               

Question:
To ask the Minister for Education and Science his plans to introduce or recognise the importance of introducing a grant to B.Ed and H.Dip students whilst in teaching practice similar to that provided to nurses and gardaí in training in order that students can cover costs such as the education materials needed to provide effective lessons, with such a grant not affecting those receiving the maintenance grant; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

Reply:
The position in relation to teaching practice is that it is not a paid activity in any institution but rather is viewed as training rather than employment. It is an integral part of the curriculum of the degree programmes in Education and there is no special financial assistance available to students.

I would point out that Teacher Education Programmes provided in approved third level colleges, are approved courses for the purposes of the Higher Education Grants Scheme. Under the terms of that scheme, grantholders who are required to participate in off-campus placement as an integral part of their course may have their grant entitlement paid in the normal manner. Where the College requires a grantholder in receipt of the adjacent rate of grant to relocate from his|her residence in order to undertake a placement of not less than one academic term|semester, the non-adjacent rate of grant may be paid for the duration of such placement. Accordingly, student teachers who are eligible for grant assistance continue to receive their entitlements while undertaking teaching practice.