Results 3,401-3,420 of 23,964 for speaker:Charlie McConalogue

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (24 Sep 2014)

Charlie McConalogue: 202. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to support the voluntary board of the National Collective Community Based Women's Network, NCCWN, with the responsibilities to 17 local women’s projects, 44 staff members and approximately 200 non-directly employed staff (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36138/14]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (24 Sep 2014)

Charlie McConalogue: 203. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to engage with the National Collective Community Based Women's Network, NCCWN, to resolve the difficulty that has arisen because that organisation created a national structure to meet the requirement of the community development programme which now precludes them from securing funding post 2014 under the new...

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Community Development Initiatives (24 Sep 2014)

Charlie McConalogue: 204. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government his plans to ring-fence funding to support the National Collective Community Based Women's Network to deliver the only programme specifically targeted at women from disadvantaged communities; his plans to provide support for this marginalised group who are not named under the social inclusion and community activation...

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)

Charlie McConalogue: I welcome the Minister and the Minister of State to the committee and wish both of them the best in their new roles. I congratulate both on their promotions to the Department and to their positions. I also thank their officials for attending the meeting today. Is it the case that the Minister is seeking a €39 million reduction in the overall education budget in the coming year?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: That is for the current year. Does the Minister have any overall indication yet of what cuts or otherwise are expected in the coming year? Are there particular figures in the upcoming budget which the Minister has already identified as feeding into a reduction of the bottom line for the coming year? A value-for-money report on small schools, including primary and second level 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)

Charlie McConalogue: Can the Minister give an estimate of the additional cost to the Department next year for teachers, buildings, and school transport, for example, as a result of the increased number of students?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: Is there likely to be €30 million in savings built in from last year's budget in next year's figures? And is the Minister facing potential increases in costs of €65 million as a result of demographic pressures?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: Can the Minister give a more definite answer?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: The former Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, was considering the value-for-money report for perhaps 18 months with everyone and yet nobody seems to have seen it, apart from the Minister and Minister of State and the officials. It is not acceptable that it sits on the table for that amount of time. It is a delaying tactic.

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)

Charlie McConalogue: I wish to follow up on a point made by my colleague, Senator Power, on early years education. Could the Minister clarify what the working group she is to establish will do and what its timeline is? What plans does the Minister have specifically on supporting quality and curriculum roll-out at preschool level? Does she believe more resources will be required for the area next year? I...

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)

Charlie McConalogue: I refer to primary and secondary level. Does it come under this heading?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: It is under subhead D in that case. That is fine, we will come to that later. On the back-to-school costs survey, the former Minister, Deputy Ruairí Quinn, made a big brouhaha about carrying it out and publishing it. He followed it up shortly afterwards with a big banner at the Labour Party conference about how the Labour Party is working to reduce back-to-school costs. There has not...

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)

Charlie McConalogue: I will try to be as brief as possible. What I am hearing is that the Minister is not going to follow up on the survey and she is pointing to the-----

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)

Charlie McConalogue: ----- €5 million for school books which is important.

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)

Charlie McConalogue: The reason people cannot afford to go to school is because of-----

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)

Charlie McConalogue: I have two brief questions on one-teacher schools and junior cycle reform costs.

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)

Charlie McConalogue: Will the Minister confirm that the number of one-teacher schools created this year will be 40 or so, compared with ten last year? Is there any room within the Estimates to support these schools and will she comment on their viability in a context where numbers are increasing? The process of junior cycle reform has commenced, but 10% of English teachers delivering the curriculum as of the...

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)

Charlie McConalogue: Will the Minister comment on one-teacher schools?

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)

Charlie McConalogue: It is an important point.

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)

Charlie McConalogue: As Senator Power pointed out, €25 million was taken out of the third level sector last year and the colleges were told to take it from their reserves. It was the same the year before. Since an assessment was made in advance and the colleges had to make it up from reserves I presume there has been some monitoring of how that has worked out. What has the impact been in respect of the...