Results 6,761-6,780 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: VAT Payments (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a breakdown of the total annual amount of VAT paid by primary and post primary schools in the 2011/2012 academic year. [44976/12]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on implementing variable school capitation rates which reflect the annual maintenance and running costs of schools. [44977/12]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Deployment (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider implementing a review of the type of research output by third level lecturers; if he will consider introducing changes to the existing legislation that would mean that university staff would teach a set number of hours, unless they have a full-time research schedule, which is signed off by a high level in-house committee. [44980/12]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Fee Paying Schools (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the savings that would be accrued from ending State subsidies to Catholic fee paying schools. [44981/12]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered exempting primary and post primary schools from paying water charges. [44982/12]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Charges (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he has considered reducing the cost of water charges to primary and post-primary schools. [44983/12]

Written Answers — Department of Health: Health Services Expenditure (17 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Health if he will provide a list of works paid for by the Health Service Executive on behalf of the Brothers of Charity Southern Services between 2009 and to date in 2012 [45153/12]

Home Help and Home Care Services: Motion [Private Members] (16 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: Yesterday, I met home helps in Cork. I am sure the Minister of State is familiar with many of the women to whom I spoke, as she probably knows them personally through her own contact with them in the constituency as well as her role in the Department. She knows as well as I do some of the issues and decisions facing them. One home help has been put in an awful position. She now has 15...

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: When the Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, system was launched in June, it was heralded as an efficient and cost-effective means by which to process student grant applications. There is no doubt that it is better than the old system, with which 66 awarding authorities were involved and to which were attached different types of application process. I accept that there have been...

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State for his reply. I fully accept that the wrong paperwork can sometimes be submitted or that additional information may be required. However, the student to whom I refer submitted the necessary paperwork two months ago and it was only this week that he received a letter indicating that additional information was required. It is not solely down to the students. A...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Managing Back to School Costs: Discussion (10 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: I thank the witnesses for coming in for this important debate. Parents face major challenges as the cost of sending children to school is increasing. With a reduction in the education budget, there will be an increased cost for parents, who can expect a figure in the region of €77 million. This is separate to the multi-annual reductions announced last year, such as the capitation...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Public Sector Pensions Expenditure (10 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if any currently serving secretaries general retain TLAC terms with regards to their pension provisions; if he will provide a list of those secretaries general; if he will provide the total expected cost to the Exchequer of the pension pots to be paid out to the former on their retirement broken down by annual pension payment for each,...

Written Answers — Department of Public Expenditure and Reform: Teachers' Remuneration (10 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform the way he intends to deal with the pay gap that has emerged between new entrant teachers and those appointed prior to his decision to withdraw all allowances. [43489/12]

Other Questions: Teachers' Remuneration (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: I am concerned by the answer the Minister gave to Deputy Catherine Murphy when she asked if, in his opinion, the changes made to teachers' pay would impact on the quality of teachers entering the profession. His reply was not acceptable because he said his feeling was that it would not. I am wondering what analysis and assessments have been undertaken by the Department. The Minister has...

Other Questions: Third Level Admissions Reform (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: I thank the Minister of State for the reply. He outlined the number as approximately 32,000, which is up some 6,000 on the 2010 figures I had. Even if one only considers the revenue created from that number of students in 2010 was €900 million, no doubt this is an important factor, not only for the universities but for the Irish economy. International students stay on average...

Other Questions: Bullying in Schools (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: I agree with the Minister that it has become a considerable problem and this is something the working group will examine. Has the Minister looked at other countries where there is stand-alone bullying legislation with a view to policy development and legislation here? The issue of bullying is not confined to children or students. There is a growing number of teachers who suffer from...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: Will the Minister confirm, in regard to the draft report he has received, that he is just looking at the value of the assets or is he also taking into account debts that may apply against those assets? Will it be the net or gross value of the assets that will be taken into account? Will the Minister give some indication of the draft report's focus in terms of how he is going to value...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement proposals to assess capital assets and income when means testing student grants in the 2013-2014 academic year; if he will confirm the publication date of the findings of the Higher Educational Authority National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. [43233/12]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: Can the Minister indicate when he received the draft report from the implementation group? When will his considerations be complete? When will the full report be published? This matter is causing a great deal of anxiety, particularly among the farming community. Many thousands of farmers are outside this building today. They have genuine worries about the threat to rural Ireland. It is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (9 Oct 2012)

Jonathan O'Brien: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to address the continuing refusal of the religious congregations to meet their share of the costs of the compensation bill for victims of institutional residential abuse; and if he will provide an update on the establishment of the fund. [43090/12]