Results 3,381-3,400 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Certification (26 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: Safe Pass is a one day health and safety awareness programme, which aims to provide those that work in construction environments with a level of basic knowledge and awareness of evolving health and safety standards and practices. The Safe Pass programme is administered by SOLAS and operated by a network of mainly private SOLAS-approved training providers. The primary objective of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (26 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: The Managing Authorities for the European Social Fund (ESF) and the European Adjustment Globalisation Fund (EGF) are located within my Department. As set out in note 6.1 to the 2017 Appropriation Account, €23.173m was received into my Department’s Vote from EU funding as appropriations-in-aid, as follows: EU Funding Type A-in-A Receipts in 2017 Description ESF/YEI...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Derelict Sites (26 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: I apologise on behalf of the Minister for Housing, Planning and Local Government, Deputy Eoghan Murphy, and thank Senator Lombard for raising this very important issue concerning local authorities and how to deal with public health issues associated with derelict buildings. There are two legislative enactments that are particularly relevant in this area. The Derelict Sites Act 1990 requires...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: Derelict Sites (26 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: When I received this question I carried out an assessment of the situation. I was a councillor for a number of years, like the Senator, and I looked at the Derelict Sites Act 1990, as well as the Planning and Development (Amendment) Act 2018. With these Acts and the 1964 Act, it appears that local authorities have sufficient powers. The problem is that it is a matter for individual local...

Withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union (Consequential Provisions) Bill 2019: Second Stage (Resumed) (27 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: As Minister of State with responsibility for innovation, research and development I want to concentrate on one element of Part 3, which will also be addressed by my colleague, the Minister for Business, Enterprise and Innovation, Deputy Humphreys. I refer in this regard to the delivery of a key objective of the Government by means of Enterprise Ireland supporting increased levels of...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects Applications (27 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: On behalf of the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy McHugh, I thank Senator Colm Burke for raising this important matter. It provides me with the opportunity to outline to the Seanad the current position in relation to the major building project for Scoil an Athar Tadhg national school. The project is included in the six-year construction programme for 2016 to 2021 which was...

Seanad: Nithe i dtosach suíonna - Commencement Matters: School Building Projects Applications (27 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: As I said, a stage 2a submission has recently been received, albeit I am not sure on what date. In any event, it is pretty new. The design team will make a presentation to the Department. I acknowledge that the Senator submitted a Commencement matter on 5 February 2019, which was not selected. The Department tells me that after the meeting today the submission will be assessed and I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 79 and 87 together. School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. The purpose of my Department's School Transport Scheme is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. Bus Eireann has confirmed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. Under the terms of the...

Seanad: National Training Fund: Statements (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: I am grateful for this opportunity to discuss the National Training Fund. This is an important and worthwhile fund and I will give the House as much information as I can on it. Funding is allocated by the Minister for Education and Skills with the consent of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform in accordance with the provisions of the National Training Fund Act 2000. In more...

Seanad: National Training Fund: Statements (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: I thank the Senators for their very valuable contributions. I know that all of them have an interest in apprenticeships and in developing apprenticeships and skills. We should look at where our economy is today and then look back ten or 12 years. As I have always said, during the recession the area of apprenticeships practically collapsed. This happened for a number of reasons, including...

Seanad: National Training Fund: Statements (28 Feb 2019)

John Halligan: Senator Boyhan said exactly the same thing and I will do that. I know the Senator is a great supporter of the education and training boards, ETBs, and they do valuable work for us. Our association with employers is very important in this regard. I asked about the whole fund a number of years ago so that when I faced questions like this, we would have had an independent review carried out....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (5 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. There are currently over 117,500 children, including over 13,000 children with special educational needs, transported in over 5,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The purpose of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (5 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: The Youth Employment Initiative (YEI) is one of the main EU financial resources to support the implementation of the EU youth guarantee.  The YEI is integrated into European Social Fund (ESF) programming as a dedicated priority axis within the ESF Programme for Employability, Inclusion and Learning 2014-2020 (PEIL).  The specific YEI allocation for Ireland of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Data (5 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: I am informed by Limerick and Clare Education and Training Board (LCETB) that they typically use contracted training to deliver specific courses that LCETB either does not have the technical expertise to deliver in-house, or the approved facilities to deliver. Typical examples are artic truck driver, delivery driver and HGV driver training. LCETB also uses contracted training to deliver...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (6 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: I thank Deputy Pringle for his important question. My Department and SOLAS fund English for speakers of other languages training for migrants through the 16 education and training boards, ETBs. Adult programme refugees have access to an initial eight-week language training and orientation programme in a number of ETBs under the resettlement strand of the Irish refugee protection...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (6 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: I can state categorically that refugee resettlement programme participants are entitled to 20 hours of provision weekly in the first year of resettlement. ETBs can subsequently offer more than 20 hours per week, but we have found that 20 hours a week is too much for many refugees as they are settling into their homes, have children who are in school and their environment and community are...

Ceisteanna Eile - Other Questions: Education and Training Boards (6 Mar 2019)

John Halligan: Additional one-to-one tuition is offered and available for learners with very weak language skills and literacy difficulties in their own language who may find it beneficial. I do not have the facts and figures for the take-up, but I can obtain them for the Deputy. The onus is on the ETBs which can offer 20 hours a week, although as I have explained, we find that many refugees and asylum...