Probe into €750,000 'fraud' in school meals fund [Irish Independent]
- Published: 17 February 2009
Source: Irish Independent
by: Anita Guidera
THE Department of Social and Family Affairs has launched a major investigation into allegations of subsidy fraud under the School Meals' Programme.
It is understood the investigation centres on a supply company to the programme which has allegedly defrauded the department of more than €750,000 in subsidies over the past three years.
The investigation began late last year after the department was alerted to an unusually high level of subsidies being claimed by the company.
In one school, it is understood subsidies were being claimed for 700 students when only 600 were availing of meals.
The Irish Independent has learned that some schools had begun to express concern about the way the scheme was being administered by the company.
It also emerged last night that the investigation, understood to be the first of its kind, may be broadened to involve at least one other government department.
A source close to the department said the investigation was at an early stage but was being taken "very seriously".
The School Meals' Programme funds national and secondary schools, local groups and voluntary organisations to provide food services for disadvantaged school children.
Funding is allocated on the basis of a rate per meal per child.
School principals then certify the number and type of meals provided, which is the basis for funding from the department, and submit accounts to verify the amount claimed.
Expenditure on the scheme was around €32m last year.
In a statement, the department said allegations of fraud were taken seriously and were fully investigated.
"Under the School Meals' Programme, the department deals directly with the schools concerned and does not deal with any suppliers that a school may engage. Any allegations of fraud or abuse of the social welfare system are taken seriously by the department and are fully investigated.
"The department cannot comment on individual cases of fraud or abuse until they have been successfully prosecuted through the courts.
Allegation
"However, the department can confirm that it is currently investigating an allegation in relation to the operation of the School Meals' Programme," the statement said.
According to the department, funding for the School Meals' Programme is intended "for the purchase and distribution of healthy, nourishing, food items only".
The department says financial support is not made available for sugary drinks, fried foods and confectionery.
It states it is also committed to examining records on foods bought under the programme and stresses that those found to be operating inadequate schemes would be suspended from receiving further financial support, until such time as any issues are resolved.
- Anita Guidera
Teachers' unions in levy talks [Irish Times]
- Published: 17 February 2009
Source: Irish Times
AOIFE CARR
REPRESENTATIVES OF the four teaching unions met yesterday to discuss the pension levy for public sector workers and the Government's handling of the economic crisis.
The Irish National Teachers Organisation (INTO), the Association of Secondary Teachers in Ireland (ASTI), the Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) and the Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT), who represent over 50,000 teachers, met to co-ordinate their opposition to the levy.
The TUI, INTO and ASTI are balloting their members on industrial action. The IFUT's executive council is due to meet later this week to discuss whether to seek a mandate for industrial action.
ASTI spokeswoman Gemma Tuffy said teachers feel they are unfairly targeted. "The Government approach is very unfair. Teachers feel they're singling out one group and not spreading the burden fairly," she said.
TUI president Don Ryan said his members were "extremely angry" about the levy."We will be examining what duties our members will stop doing in protest at the levy," he said.
Teacher unions warn of industrial action [Irish Examiner]
- Published: 17 February 2009
Source: Irish Examiner
By: Niall Murray
UNIONS representing more than 60,000 teachers have warned of the serious possibility of industrial action if the Government does not negotiate with them, and others representing public servants, about the controversial pension levy it plans to introduce.
Three of the four teacher unions decided last week to ballot their members on industrial action in protest at the Government's planned levy on the pensions of civil and public servants.
The results of the votes among the 60,000-plus members of the Association of Secondary Teachers Ireland (ASTI), Irish National Teachers' Organisation (INTO) and Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI), are expected by the weekend of Friday, March 6. Irish Federation of University Teachers (IFUT) general secretary Mike Jennings said the executive of the union, which has around 2,000 members, will consider its position this weekend.
Following a meeting of the general secretaries and presidents of all four unions yesterday, they urged as many members as possible to attend Saturday's protest in Dublin, organised by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU).
"Nobody wants to rush into any form of industrial action, which is always an issue of last resort. The ball is in the Government's court, the Government has the option to respond positively. If they do not, then other measures will follow," a spokesperson for the union leaders said.
He said the union leaders have been hearing from members that what has happened to date has been one sided and ill-thought out and that teachers and other public servants feel they have been singled out.
As well as the three teacher unions, the Civil and Public Service Union (CPSU) and Public Service Executive Union (PSEU) are also balloting members on possible industrial action in response to the public service pension levy, and the possibility of a similar ballot will be considered by the executive of IMPACT trade union today.
The teacher unions said that ICTU's 10-point plan to tackle the economic crisis could be used as a guide to resolving the pension levy issue and other problems facing the country.
"There is nobody, least of all in the trade union movement, in denial about the scale of the economic crisis facing this country but we can only solve it if we work together. The only thing that will work is to get around the table, discuss the issues, hopefully using the 10-point programme as a guide, and achieve an overall solution," the spokesperson said.
Pupil suspended for having long hair awarded €3,500 [Irish Times]
- Published: 17 February 2009
Source: Irish Times
By: OLIVIA KELLY
A LEAVING Certificate student suspended from school for three months for having long hair and told he had a "girl's hair style" has been awarded €3,500 by the Equality Tribunal for gender discrimination and victimisation.
David Knott, who was a Leaving Cert student at Dunmore Community School, Galway, in 2004/2005, missed his "mock" Leaving Cert exams and had to move to another school to sit the State exam.
The tribunal found he suffered discrimination in that male and female students at the school were not treated equally. It also found he had been victimised when the school hired a barber to inspect the length of his hair.
The complaint, brought to the tribunal by the boy's mother Mary Knott, states that when term began on September 1st, 2004, he was told by the deputy principal Ms O'Brien that he was to cut his hair. When he did not comply he was called to Ms O'Brien's office and she referred to his "girl's hair style", said he was "nothing but a trend-setter" and asked him if he "wanted to be a girl?"
He was then referred to the principal Mr Gilmore, who told him to cut his hair by the end of the week or go to another school. At that point he told his mother what had happened and she wrote to Mr Gilmore asking that nothing further be said to David as he was in his exam year, that she had given him permission to grow his hair and asking that he deal directly with her from then on.
Mr Gilmore responded by letter to Mrs Knott, saying he was concerned about the tone and content of her letter and he was referring the matter to the board of management.
Later in September David was asked by his music teacher to play in the school band, but was told by Mr Gilmore he couldn't unless he cut his hair. In October Mr Gilmore wrote to Mrs Knott to say that David would be suspended if he failed to cut his hair.
A board of management appeal hearing on November 16th unanimously found in favour of Mr Gilmore, who then wrote to Mrs Knott advising her that suspension would take effect from December 8th.
Mrs Knott appealed to the Department of Education, which ruled in her favour and said David should be readmitted if his hair was "groomed to collar length". She took her son to a barber to cut his hair in accordance with this ruling.
However, when David returned to school on February 23rd, 2005, a barber hired by the board of management was waiting to inspect his hair. The barber said David would need another inch off his hair. Mrs Knott said they would not comply and David enrolled in another school.
The tribunal found David had been caused "serious upset, disruption and inconvenience" during his Leaving Cert year.
Father in protest at special needs cut [Irish Times]
- Published: 17 February 2009
Source: Irish Times
By: KITTY HOLLAND
AN EIGHT-year-old boy and his father travelled to Dublin from their home in Co Meath yesterday to protest outside the Dáil about the loss of his "special needs" teacher.
Ciarán Armstrong from Enfield has attention deficit disorder and attends Newtown national school in the town, where he is one of a number of pupils who benefited from a special needs teacher.
His father, Leo Armstrong, said the school lost its dedicated special needs teacher following the education cuts in October which saw class sizes increase.
"Ciarán has problems with keeping his attention on things. He's fidgety and his mind wanders. There are others in the school who used the special needs teacher."
The children, he said, were in mainstream classes but came out at set times during the day for one-to-one teaching with the special needs teacher.
"But now since they increased the class sizes in October, that teacher is now enmeshed in the mainstream teaching and doesn't have time to teach Ciarán and the others one-to-one," he said.
Mr Armstrong was there yesterday with Ciarán and a friend of the family, carrying placards.
He said he did not expect that his protest would result in a U-turn on the education cuts, but said he hoped it would encourage other parents to come together as part of a bigger campaign against the reduction in special needs resources in schools.
"What we want are two things. One, that the class sizes are reduced and two, for the sake of the country and all the affected children, that special needs teachers be reinstated."
He said the salaries that were paid to bank chief executives amounted to about €5 million and would pay for 120 special needs teachers.
"I feel very disappointed in this Government and naturally I am very worried for Ciarán that he is not getting out of his education what he should be. He is in second class but at times is put back in 1st class now as he can't keep up the way he used to."
Mr Armstrong said his partner and Ciarán's mother, Collette Wrenn, was at home caring for their other son.
