Results 3,081-3,100 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 18, 33, 52 and 56 together. The number of approved places available under the PLC programme is 32,688. My Department is not in a position to increase this number as there is a continuing requirement to plan and control numbers and to manage expenditure within the context of overall educational policy and provision. The change of pupil teacher ratio for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: It is vitally important for children to avail of the opportunity to exercise at school. Children should be able to run and move freely in the school yard unless there are very compelling health and safety reasons for individual schools to prohibit such activity. The Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005 sets out the responsibilities on individual school management authorities to have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Performance Management Systems (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I propose to take Questions Nos. 20 and 24 together. School boards, principals and teachers are accountable for the work of the school including the quality of learning and teaching. The new school self-evaluation system, introduced during this school year, requires principals and teachers to identify what they are doing well and what needs to improve. In addition, there is a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Travel (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: China is a priority market for promotion of Irish education and political engagement with the country is a national priority. The Minister, Deputy Quinn, visited Hong Kong, Beijing and Shanghai from 9 to 16 March, accompanied by 13 higher education institutions on an Enterprise Ireland education mission. He held talks with Chinese Education Minister Yuan, at which they agreed to hold...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I recently announced that section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 will commence on 1 November 2013. Subject to very limited exceptions, which will be controlled by Ministerial regulation, section 30 will prohibit payment by the State of people employed as teachers in recognised schools unless they are registered with the Teaching Council. My Department, the VECs and the Teaching Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Fee Paying Schools (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I commissioned the report in question in order to inform future budgetary decisions in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools in particular. I do not propose at this stage to anticipate any specific decisions the Government might take in respect of the next budget. It is important to look at the context in which exchequer funding to fee charging schools must be approached. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The design team is currently working on the completion of the Stage 2(a) submission. When Stage 2(a) is approved, the project will then progress to stage 2(b) which includes applications for planning permission, Fire Safety Certification, Disability Access Certification and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Expenditure supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs in 2013 is expected to be in line with that provided in 2012, at some €1.3bn, which is approximately 15% of the entire budget of the Department. Despite the current economic difficulties, the number of Special Needs Assistants and Resource and Learning Support Teachers has been maintained. Specifically, 9,950 posts have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Croke Park Agreement Issues (17 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: In relation to estimates of savings arising from the LRC proposals, the Revised Estimates Volume for 2013 is expected to be published very shortly. This document will set out the revised allocations for Votes arising from the proposals made. The Revised Estimates Volume for 2013 will be submitted to the Oireachtas for consideration in due course. Following the publication of the 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Job Creation Issues (23 Apr 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Through the Action Plan for Jobs, the Government is providing the basis for increased employment opportunities for graduates, particularly in growing and emerging sectors that rely on high knowledge and skills levels. The Action Plan contains a number of measures that specifically support graduates and includes commitments to support graduates in specific sectors such as the food industry...

Taxi Regulation Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (16 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: One thinks of Eyre Square.

Taxi Regulation Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (16 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I do.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: All the work which the Government is doing through the Action Plan for Jobs aims to transform our economy from one that became over dependent on property, construction and debt to one focused on enterprise, innovation and exports. The Action Plan for Jobs is focused on sustaining and creating employment for new entrants to the labour market and the unemployed, many of whom are under 25....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I will provide some figures and interrogate them correctly. I acknowledge the report to which Deputy Tóibín refers. Of the 87,000 people who have emigrated from Ireland in the year up to April 2012, less than half of them, 40,600 people, were not Irish. Many of them were non-Irish people who came to Ireland over the previous decade or so for work and are now returning home. The...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: We must distinguish between the gross figure and the net figure and extrapolate the number of people who are not Irish and who are returning to their home countries to provide a more realistic view. With regard to youth unemployment, of the 68,000 people within the age category to which Deputy Tóibín refers up to 2012, the 15 to 19-year-old category contains 18,500 people who are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: The bottom line is that we want as many young people to be given the opportunity and we must create a supply of courses and upskilling. Let us take the figure of 18,500 in the 15 to 19-year-old category. Why are 18,500 young people between the ages of 15 and 19 unemployed? There is no reason they cannot fit into a course, a placement, an internship or continuing education to ensure we can...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Youth Unemployment Measures (22 May 2013)

Seán Sherlock: It is important to acknowledge it. The demand side issue to which the Deputy refers is being tackled. The Action Plan for Jobs includes a number of regulatory measures to encourage business. It is acknowledged that demand has bottomed out but the Government is trying to put in place a set of measures to address the 250,000 jobs lost between 2000 case in 2011. These jobs were allied, for...

Topical Issue Debate: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the Deputies for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position on this issue. The Government has protected front-line services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget. Therefore, there will be no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools and in free second level schools for the 2013 to 2014 school year. The DEIS scheme for...

Topical Issue Debate: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Deputy Ross referred to five Protestant comprehensive schools which do not charge fees. Second level schools such as Kilkenny College and previously Wilson's Hospital, have demonstrated that they believe they can maintain and promote their Church of Ireland ethos through the free second level scheme. I have referred to the report and the analysis which we cannot dismiss. It shows clearly...

Topical Issue Debate: State Examinations Issues (11 Jun 2013)

Seán Sherlock: Context is everything and the overall examinations infrastructure in Ireland stands up to international scrutiny in terms of the level of educational attainment, etc. I acknowledge the validity of the points made by the Deputies that the number of errors in the examinations is a cause for concern. The State Examinations Commission has expressed its regret for the errors made. In response...