Results 1,941-1,960 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Teaching Council Act 2001, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory regulatory authority for the professional registration of teachers. The Council sets standards of entry to the profession and accredits initial teacher education programmes. I am satisfied that primary teachers are qualified to teach in a wide range of school environments including ASD units. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools is being gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. An appeals process is available to small schools which have had their staff number reduced as a result of the budget measure. The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an appeal to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Programmes Provision (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: SOLAS, with the input of the ESRI is currently undertaking a comprehensive consultation process with a range of key informants inside and outside of the Further Education and Training (FET) sector including relevant Departments and Agencies, employers, unions, advocacy groups and learners as part of the development of a five year strategy for the FET Sector. This is taking place under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of some local concerns in relation to certain aspects of the enrolment policy of the school to which the Deputy refers. My Department is in contact with the authorities of the school in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grants awarding body, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) confirmed on Monday 20th January 2014 that students attending the course referred to by the Deputy are approved for funding. All applicants previously awarded a grant have had their payments reinstated and arrears paid. The decision follows a review carried out, as part of on-going audits of student grants, on a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Patron Body concerned has notified my Department of its intention to divest patronage of the Outreach Class based in Mohill, Co. Leitrim, from the end of this school year. My Department has clarified for the Patron Body the importance of notifying parents of the intentions of the school authorities in this regard and of putting in place alternative...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations, including an appeals process. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department conducts the National School Annual Census in order to gather the data my Department needs for statistical, administrative and policy planning purposes. Schools are asked to return their forms to the Department by the end of October each year. Due to the large volume of forms it takes a number of months after the October deadline to receive all forms back, fully complete...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. Staffing arrangements at primary level for the 2014/15 school year are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have a permanent allocation of Learning Support resources which they can use to provide additional teaching support to assist pupils who have learning support needs in schools, including pupils who have learning support needs arising from a medical condition. There is not a prescriptive list of medical conditions for which this support can be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Guidance Counsellors (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186, 189 and 190 together. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. This operates at local school level. The representative organisations for School Principals and school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together. By way of context I can inform the Deputy that my Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health. This issue spans the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care and the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Personal Insolvency Act (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that there was contact between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality in the context of the personal insolvency legislation. I understand that for the purposes of establishing a reasonable standard of living and reasonable living expenses, Insolvency Service Ireland (ISI) prepared and issued guidelines. In the guidelines, the costs attributed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The eligibility requirements for the JobBridge Scheme requires an applicant to be in receipt of live claims, such as Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, One Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance. As these payments are already included in the list of eligible payments for the special rate of grant under my Department's Student Grant Scheme I am not at present considering...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are no funding programmes available from my Department designed to directly assist projects involved in youth diversion and rehabilitation and therefore no application process for such support. In addition to funding overall mainstream provision for education my Department also provides funding of some €4million across a number of projects and centres to provide for continuum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers advised my Department recently that it had carried out repair works to prefabs caused by weather damage. The school also advised that the prefabs are now safe to use. The major building project for the school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2b Detailed Design, which includes planning and other statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the school he refers to was invited to participate in the Prefab Replacement Scheme II and I understand that the school authorities accepted this offer. This project involving the construction of a significant level of permanent accommodation represents Phase 1 of development works at the school. More recently, the school authorities applied to my Department for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school, to which the Deputy refers, has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide for an extension and refurbishment works. In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential additional school places to meet demographic demand, my...