Results 3,021-3,040 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (23 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 468. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her policy on twins in primary schools remaining in the same class or being separated. [35866/14]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Fees (23 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 469. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the recourse open to a parent who paid a fee for books to a non-fee-paying primary school at the beginning of September and then subsequently removed the children from that school and put them in another but received no refund for the fees paid and no books; if the school is obliged to refund this money; and if she will make a statement on the...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Mortgage to Rent Scheme Application Numbers (23 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 523. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he will provide details in tabular form, by county and by year, of the number of applications for the mortgage to rent scheme which were unsuccessful because of the occupancy conditions attached to the scheme in respect of the size of dwelling and number of persons residing in the property; and if he will make a...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Rail Services (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: 210. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will urge Irish Rail to introduce train tickets for part-time workers that would reduce the cost of their travel and ensure they are not paying for fares for the days they do not commute; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [35978/14]

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Just to clarify what Deputy McConalogue said in regard to the next savings required in 2015, one of the slides states that a further €39 million will have to be saved in 2015.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: On page 3, it states, "keeping within the 2015 current expenditure ceiling a further net saving of €39 million is required in 2015". Perhaps the Minister can clarify that. If that figure is correct, could the Minister clarify whether that €39 million includes previously announced cuts from previous budgets, such as multi annual cuts to funding, for example the capitation...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Is that inclusive or exclusive of previously announced multi-annual cuts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Can the Minister say what that additional cost will be, based on next year's projections?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: What is the monetary value of those four cuts?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is important that we clarify figures. Will the savings for next year for those four identified multi-annual cuts that have previously been announced amount to €30 million?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Roughly. Originally we were looking at €39 million, but negotiations are ongoing. We are looking at a minimum of €30 million savings next year in education.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: In the Minister's briefing it says that there may be a risk of delay in appointing those people because of the delays in vetting.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is the point I wanted to raise. We are talking about back-to-school costs. The largest school cost, the cost that increases year-on-year, is the voluntary contribution. The reason it is increasing is due to the cut in budgets to schools and capitation grants and those cuts have to be made up somewhere. Schools are operating on smaller budgets with more students and more pressures and...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: There has been a great deal of criticism of the Department when it comes to funding and so on, but I acknowledge that this particular area is the one in which we have seen the greatest reform. There has been all-party agreement on the Bills that have been brought before the Oireachtas dealing with QQI, further education and training, and the education and training boards, ETBs. We can all...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: I have one further question relating to European Social Fund, ESF, funding. The departmental briefing document indicates that a proposal has been made to strengthen systems, which requires additional staffing. That request, we are told, is being finalised for submission to the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is essential that these additional personnel are appointed in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: The Minister is probably more aware than anyone else on this committee of the value of the minor works and summer works schemes. When schools do not get minor work grants or qualify for the summer works scheme to do basic work on their premises, that feeds back into the cost of education because at the end of the day, somebody has to repair the heating or fix the roof and so forth....

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: Would the Minister deal briefly with school building projects and the elimination of prefabs?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: That is a big concern. I know of one particular school which has been allocated funding by the Department. The school has identified a site but the project is now caught up in the planning process. When that happens, schools get very nervous and are fearful that the funding will be pulled and put somewhere else. They worry that the funding will be reallocated to schools which have secured...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: How feasible is a five-year plan when we can project demographics down the line? Perhaps we should look beyond a five-year building programme and identify areas where the student population, in ten years' time, will warrant a new post-primary school. We could have short-term, medium-term and long-term building programmes rather than just a rigid five-year programme where a school is either...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jonathan O'Brien: It would be worthwhile, and I have raised this matter before at this committee, to have twice yearly meetings with the Minister to discuss policy and departmental areas. Such meetings would allow us to give feedback as well which is something, unfortunately, that we did not get previously. Her predecessor, Deputy Quinn, was very willing to come before the committee but there was nothing set...