Results 5,801-5,820 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (14 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The scale of the School Transport Scheme, transporting some 114,000 children every school day on some 6,000 school transport routes utilising some 4,000 vehicles every school day makes it the largest public transport operation in the State. Transport services for both primary and post-primary children are co-ordinated by Bus Éireann and transport routes are planned and shared in such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (14 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The Deputy will be aware that from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for post primary children is being determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post-primary education centre having regard to ethos and language. Children who were eligible for school transport prior to the introduction of the above change will retain...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (14 Jul 2015)

Damien English: There are currently 27 trades covered by the apprenticeship system in Ireland. Recruitment to apprenticeship is undertaken by employers. As apprenticeship is concentrated in construction, motor and engineering, areas where employment is largely male, female participation in apprenticeship is low. There are efforts to increase female participation in the current trades, including a bursary...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: In the first Action Plan for Jobs in 2012, special actions were initiated to support an increase in female entrepreneurs. This included Enterprise Ireland’s first dedicated Competitive Start Call for female entrepreneurs. That call was massively oversubscribed and was immediately extended. That was the first step taken. An increase of female entrepreneurship has been a...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Regarding the statistics, the Deputy quoted the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, GEM. To be clear, the 2013 report showed that Irish men were 1.9 times more likely than Irish women to start their own business or become an early stage entrepreneur, and the EU average is 1.9:1. That is not good enough but we are competing in that regard. We are slightly above the OECD average, which is...

Other Questions: Enterprise Support Schemes (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: That is a fair comment. We try, through the Action Plan for Jobs, to bring all the Departments together in that regard. I understand the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly, is bringing forward a document next week on the child care element and early school learning. It is hoped there will be some supports in that and that this will encourage us. On the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Given the increase in the School Transport Section workload at this time of the year combined with the routine administrative work in relation to school transport provision generally, regrettably, it was not feasible to deal with the increased volume of representations in a more timely manner. In relation to the query raised by the Deputy, I can advise that under the terms of my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Receipts from the annual charge were some €13m in 2014 of which €2.3m and €10.7m were in respect of primary and post primary children respectively. It is important to note that children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge. Notwithstanding that the numbers of children holding medical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The scale of the School Transport Scheme, transporting some 114,000 children every school day on some 6,000 school transport routes utilising some 4,000 vehicles every school day makes it the largest public transport operation in the State. Transport services for both primary and post-primary children are co-ordinated and transport routes are planned and shared in such a way as to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The Deputy will be aware that from the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, school transport eligibility for post primary children is being determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest post-primary education centre having regard to ethos and language. Children who were eligible for school transport prior to the introduction of the above change will retain their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (15 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 kilometres from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that...

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment. It removes references in section 23(1) of the Industrial Relations Act 1990 to an officer of a vocational education committee and an officer of a school attendance board. These amendments arise from an amendment agreed on Report Stage in this House, which amends a reference in section 23(1) from "a member of staff of an education and training board" to "a...

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Sections 43 and 46 were introduced on Report Stage in this House. Section 43 provides for an amendment to the definition of “Agriculture” in the Industrial Relations Act 1976, for the purposes of giving effect to the Labour Court recommendation on the scope of the agriculture JLC, arising from the 2013 review undertaken by the court of all existing joint labour committees. ...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: These are minor technical amendments to ensure consistency of language throughout the Bill when referring to the Act of 2015. They replace references to the Bill when enacted as the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 with the “Act of 2015”.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Seanad Amendment No. 41 provides for the holding of an inquiry under section 43 by a panel of the disciplinary committee where the investigating committee has determined that there is a prima faciecase to answer, following a complaint to the council about a registered teacher This is a redraft of section 43 to make clear the steps and processes involved in an inquiry and the responsibilities...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment to update the 2001 Act's reference to the EU directive on the mutual recognition of qualifications to the relevant directive that is now in place.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment updating the name of the Marino Institute of Education into the 2001 Act.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Amendment No. 6 is to enable the disciplinary committee, for the purpose of carrying out a fitness to teach inquiry, to sit in divisions of itself and where each division is to be referred to as a "panel". The 2001 Act already provided that panels would conduct inquiries on behalf of the disciplinary committee and the revised wording strengthens references in the Act to the role of the...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Amendments Nos. 7, 30, 33, 34, 36, 39 and 40, as proposed, serve to remove references to the director as secretary to the investigating committee. There is no legal need for the director to act as secretary to the investigating committee. Removing this requirement will afford the Teaching Council more flexibility in how it manages its operation of the fitness to teach processes, including...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Section 29 of the principal Act provides for the establishment and maintenance of the register of teachers. The purpose of this amendment is to update section 29 in relation to entering on the register details of each person who is registered or is entitled to be registered, as opposed to only each person entitled to be registered, to make clear that the provision relates to teachers who are...