Results 5,341-5,360 of 18,851 for speaker:Fergus O'Dowd

Student Support Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: What about being consulted?

Student Support Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: I understand that. I accept the Minister's point but could the students write to the Minister and submit names? It is important to recognise their importance in the process. Ultimately, it is about them because these are the people it will affect. They should be consulted on it.

Student Support Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: What about Deputy Pat Rabbitte?

Student Support Bill 2008: Report and Final Stages (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: I am glad that this Bill has been passed and it will make a massive difference to the thousands of students whose applications will be processed more effectively. It will do away with the unacceptable delays in some local authorities or VECs where staff issues arise and where there is not the manpower to do the work in the manner that they would wish it to be done. The Union of Students in...

FÁS Training Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 1: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills when she first became aware of the need to review all FÁS courses across the country; the outcome of the investigation to date; the number of students who are likely to be affected by the investigation; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47891/10]

FÁS Training Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: I thank the Minister for her reply and welcome the clarification as regards apprenticeship courses and courses to do with construction to the effect that they are absolutely 100% in the clear. The Minister said some 7,700 cases are being looked at. In other words their processing is being held up. These relate to the non-apprenticeship and non-construction course studies. Obviously for...

FÁS Training Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: I have made a number of requests, having spoken to senior executives in FÁS and officials in the Minister's Department and others, in an effort to get answers to questions that have been outstanding for some time. I welcome what the Minister is saying and fully support FETAC's actions, as it is very important for it to verify and stand over all the results. However, are any of the queries...

FÁS Training Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: What about the people who had not sat an examination or repeated an exam?

FÁS Training Programmes (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: My question is whether that applies to those 53 people, then.

Literacy Levels (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Question 3: To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills her views on the fact that literacy levels in Ireland have dropped more significantly than any other OECD country according to the latest PISA results; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [47892/10]

Literacy Levels (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: This is the most appalling result for a country that experienced the Celtic tiger era. Is it not the case that for the years 2000 to 2009, Ireland has the worst outcome regarding literacy of the OECD countries that participated in the study? Is it also not the case that one in six of our students has significant reading problems, particularly males? A total of 23% of males have a literacy...

Literacy Levels (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Is it not a fact that the Government's economic, health and education policies are an abject failure? The education policy is an appalling failure and it is the worst of all OECD countries. Did the Minister say more people are staying in school longer and that is the reason they are not reading as much? Is it not a fact that in 2000, students up to 15 years of age were compelled to attend...

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: In this audit and in earlier audits on education, the issue at stake is that the Minister was not consulted or asked to give his or her consent to the payments that were made. That is the key issue. For a period of nine years in a previous audit, the advice of the Higher Education Authority was not taken by UCD, UL or NUIG. The core of this issue is the lack of governance from the...

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: But it did happen.

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: Did the Minister say she will proceed to recover the money? I did not hear exactly what she said.

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The big thing is that the Minister is not in charge and her officials are not in charge of the quangos under her control. The Minister has promised new legislation to sort out all this, but will we see it in the new year? Unless she is in charge of her Department, then these things will continue to happen. Right across the third level institutions, especially the universities, there have...

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: They are a law unto themselves.

Departmental Expenditure (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The universities are running riot.

Higher Education Grants (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: The Department is imposing new penalties on mature students and other students in terms of new criteria for grants. If it went after the universities for greater efficiencies and savings, it could find a significant amount of the €30 million in grant reductions for third level students. If the Department tackled the issue in the context of previous reports of the Comptroller and Auditor...

Higher Education Grants (16 Dec 2010)

Fergus O'Dowd: It is related to the funding for this issue.