Results 5,861-5,880 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: HETAC members do not receive any fees or remuneration for their service. Records in relation to attendance at HETAC Council meetings and expenses received by Council members are not recorded at my Department. I have asked officials at my Department to request this information from HETAC and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Statistics: Departmental Statistics (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Available data on the number of new entrants and graduates in respect of these disciplines is provided in the table supplied by the Higher Education Authority. 2010 graduate data and final year enrolments for the current year are not available yet. As nursing, physiotherapy and occupational therapy are four year degree programmes, the level of enrolments in 2007 provides an approximate...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for the...

Written Answers — National Drugs Strategy: National Drugs Strategy (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's commitment to the National Drugs Strategy is evidenced in the assignment of two senior staff to work predominantly on issues relating to the Strategy from an educational perspective and also in the continued Department representation, at senior level, on bodies such as the Oversight Forum on Drugs, the Drugs Advisory Group and the National Advisory Committee on Drugs. Due to...

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has recently announced plans to open at least 13 new post-primary schools over the next five years to cater for increased demographics in a number of locations, including the Drogheda area. Decisions on the patronage of any new second level school will be taken in line with the Programme for Government which gives a commitment to move towards a more pluralist system of...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy on the number of special needs assistants employed in County Louth and East Meath on the dates specified is not readily available. The number of Special Needs Assistants employed nationally from 2007 to 2010 is available in the following document. The details for each year are the December figures for the year in question. The primary schools...

Written Answers — Teacher Education Programmes: Teacher Education Programmes (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has received the proposal known as the Newman Solution and is considering the impacts it would have including funding, on the capacity of the colleges of education to administer an extra year and extended periods of teaching placements and on the school system. The Deputy may be aware that there are significant changes currently under consideration for primary initial teacher...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for a student's local grant awarding body – the relevant local authority or VEC. In the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form, including those relating to age, residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment, the Deputy will appreciate that it would not be...

Written Answers — Programmes for Government: Programmes for Government (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Programme for Government agreed between the Labour Party and Fine Gael is a plan that draws on the best of both parties, united in their commitment to bring fresh ideas, new energy and renewed hope to the leadership of our country. It is the pledge of a national government, united in the national interest. The document contains a comprehensive set of policy goals, which are to be...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. A list of 453 successful schools was announced on 30 March 2011 and I regret that the application for sanitary facilities and associated mechanical works made by the school referred to by the Deputy was not selected. A letter to this effect has issued to the school. Applications...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing schedule for primary schools for the school year 2011/2012 was published on my Department's website in March 2011. It sets out in a fair and transparent manner the pupil thresholds for the allocation of mainstream classroom posts for all schools. It is not possible to make an exception to the staffing schedule in the case of the school referred to by the Deputy. School...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support which now...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The project for the school to which the Deputy refers is included in the 2011 School Building Work Programme to complete tender documents and proceed to tender this year. Planning Permission has been secured and my Department is currently awaiting submission of the stage 2(b) report, including tender documents, from the school and its design team. When the stage 2(b) submission has been...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating. The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation criteria, which were formulated...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: While the onus for finding an on-the-job work placement lies with the apprentice in the first instance, FÁS can assist apprentices in this regard through the provision of information on job vacancies at local FÁS Employment Services offices, through its freephone service (1800 611 116) or via its FÁS website at www.fas.ie. FÁS is currently implementing a number of initiatives to support...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a project to provide an extension for the school to which he refers was included in the Ministerial announcement of 24 January 2011. Briefs will be formulated in 2011 and the process of appointing a Design Team will commence. My officials will be in contact with the school authority in due course relating to the steps to be taken to progress the project.

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has no objection to schools participating in the Junk Kouture initiative, should they wish to do so. As stated in Parliamentary Question No. 159, which was answered on 12 April 2011, the initiative supports aspects of the Art Craft and Design, Home Economics, Civic Social and Political Education, Science, Business and Social and Environmental studies aspects of the curriculum...

Written Answers — Third Level Admissions: Third Level Admissions (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The CAO is a private (not-for-profit) company and receives no State funding. The higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing centrally applications for admission to their first year undergraduate courses. My Department has no role to play in relation to the operation of the CAO. It is my understanding that it is not possible for a third party to seek to...

Written Answers — School Closures: School Closures (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, a value for money review was initiated in October 2010 by the then Fianna Fáil/Green Party government in order to establish the value for money being achieved from state funding of small primary schools. This review is part of the normal review processes undertaken by Departments on an annual basis on selected areas of expenditure. I have no predetermined view...

Written Answers — Physical Education: Physical Education (3 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is my belief that a well planned Physical Education programme has a vitally important role to play in a broad and balanced curriculum for our primary and second level students. At primary level, Physical Education is one of seven curriculum areas within the revised Primary School Curriculum launched in 1999 and implemented on a phased basis over the period to 2008. Physical Education was...