Results 4,001-4,020 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Order of Business (3 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: There is serious legislation to come before this House and you want to go home.

Order of Business (3 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: My party colleagues were here for the debate. The Minister of State should have been in here this morning and organising a revised Order of Business, instead of taking a half day.

Equality in Education Bill 2015: First Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I move:That leave be granted to introduce a Bill entitled an Act to repeal without exception provisions of law allowing for discrimination on religious grounds against children in admissions to school; to mandate the Minister for Education and Skills to modernise the curriculum and to provide for related matters. The Bill we introduce today seeks to repeal the provisions which allow an...

Equality in Education Bill 2015: First Stage (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I move: "That the Bill be taken in Private Members' time."

Topical Issue Debate: Flood Prevention Measures (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I want to pick up on the points made by Deputies Harrington and McCarthy, particularly with regard to Bandon and Skibbereen. It is a very long process and perhaps we can look to see whether it can be sped up, but every stage of the process is important in its own right and we should not just drop stages to try to speed up any particular scheme. What we do need to look at, particularly in...

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Expenditure (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 317. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality further to Parliamentary Question No. 105 of 1 December 2015, if she keeps a readily available breakdown of the amounts paid to companies contracted to run State-owned direct provision centres; the parliamentary and public oversight mechanisms in place to monitor these multi-million euro contracts; and her plans to remedy this situation. [44104/15]

Written Answers — Department of Justice and Equality: Direct Provision Expenditure (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 318. To ask the Minister for Justice and Equality the amounts paid to the operators of Knockalisheen direct provision centre, by operator and by individual contract, from its first use as a direct provision centre to the present. [44105/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 467. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools with delivering equality of opportunity in schools status that have merged with other schools since this status was introduced, and the number of the newly merged schools that maintained or received this status in tabular form. [43525/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 468. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the circumstances surrounding the loss of delivering equality of opportunity in schools status when Scoil Damhnait and McHale College merged to become Coláiste Pobail Acla in County Mayo, given that the larger McHale College previously had this status and took on the extra students when Scoil Damhnait closed, given that parents were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 473. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the State Examinations Commission will complete its review of its procedures for allocating resources to assist leaving certificate students under the reasonable accommodations in the certificate examinations scheme. [43555/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 474. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will establish a food forum to address the issue of hunger in schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [43556/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 475. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will fund a scheme to deliver nutrition, cookery and healthy eating courses for parents within schools. [43557/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 503. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she will develop an Educate Together school in County Galway, given that an independent demographic study commissioned by GET2LS, the Educate Together secondary level start-up group, clearly demonstrated a demographic need for a new school, and there are now five Educate Together primary schools in County Galway which between them accept...

Written Answers — Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport: Sports Capital Programme Eligibility (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 643. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will provide grant support through the sports capital grant programme or, following the closure of the local authority swimming pool programme, if he will relocate those funds to allow for the immediate upgrade of the University of Limerick arena facility in County Limerick, therefore ensuring the future of the sport of swimming...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I presume that figure is not the full year cost but rather the cost from September to December. Next year we will have to have a full year cost. Is it fair to say the extra cost will be €12 million next year?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: Do we receive any information from preschools on the number of children identified as having special needs?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: We would be cribbing if the Minister did not provide the extra €6 million. The increase in the number of SNAs is welcome and it is a trend that will continue as teachers are becoming more aware of the special needs of students and identifying them earlier. While the process of identifying additional needs improves, one cannot put a figure on it. I have no issue with the subhead...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I would take a slightly different approach from that of the Chair. In terms of SNAs, one cannot measure the outputs in educational terms because they are not teachers and are not there to teach but to assist the individual pupils with their needs, such as helping them go to the bathroom, to get on and off buses and with extra-curricular activities such as swimming. Therefore, it is much...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: One way to measure it would be to say if a pupil in a mainstream school did not have access to a special needs assistant would he or she be able to remain in mainstream or have to go into a special school. It is not possible to measure outputs in terms of literacy and numeracy because there are more factors than having a special needs assistance in a classroom.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is very difficult to measure the educational outcomes from having an SNA in a classroom. I speak from my experience of dealing with SNAs. They are there to provide for care needs and, yes, that will allow a student to be in class more often. However, because the student is in class more often does not mean that better educational outcomes for him or her are due to the SNA. They are due...