Results 6,121-6,140 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: The accounting rules governing Bus Éireann's operation of the School Transport Scheme are laid down in the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. These Arrangements require Bus Éireann to charge my Department for all direct costs - contractors, fuel, maintenance etc. In line with the Accounting Arrangements, a charge of 13% of certain direct costs is levied to cover all other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann has advised that maintenance costs are influenced by a number of factors including the age profile of the fleet, the annual kilometres operated, the technical specification of the vehicle and the safety standards required by legislation and the additional safety measures demanded by the company. Safety is Bus Éireann's highest priority and this is reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: The accounting rules governing Bus Éireann's operation of the School Transport Scheme are laid down in the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. These Arrangements require Bus Éireann to charge my Department for all direct costs - contractors, fuel, maintenance etc. In line with the Accounting Arrangements, a charge of 13% of certain direct costs is levied to cover all other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Tendering (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement. The basic principle of public procurement is that there should be a competitive process and this approach applies to procurement by all public sector bodies, and includes school transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Data (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: Reports are generated from time to time by Bus Éireann as and when required by the Department for the ongoing efficient management of the School Transport Scheme. These reports may relate to various aspects of the administration and/or operation of services provided under the Scheme. Reports are not always available in the format requested because it is not always necessary to record...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (22 Mar 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann is obliged to tender all works, goods and services in line with the European Directives on public procurement. This includes school transport services performed by contractors under the School Transport Scheme, which Bus Éireann operates on behalf of the Department of Education and Skills. Bus Éireann is satisfied that the tendering process is a competitive...

Nomination of Taoiseach (Resumed) (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: So does Sinn Féin in the North.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (6 Apr 2016)

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 has advised that some children who reside on Sherkin Island are currently availing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Data (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 653 and 654 together. Bus Éireann has advised that the level of detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. In this regard I have asked Bus Éireann to forward the information directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts Data (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department did not commission any new consultants' or experts' reports on school transport in the past six years. Details of all consultancy payments by the Department for the years 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 are available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Details for the years 2015 and 2016 will be published in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: My Department received an application for school transport for the child referred to by the Deputy on the 22nd March 2016. The child in question is eligible for school transport under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs. In this regard Bus Éireann has been requested to report on the transport arrangements necessary to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: In order to comply annually with European Union public procurement law obligations Bus Éireann did publish a list of awards for the First Call for Competition for 2011, 2013, 2014 & 2015 on www.etenders.gov.ie. The list of awards for 2012 was omitted in error but has now been uploaded to the etenders website and is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann has advised that the level of detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. In this regard I have asked Bus Éireann to forward the information directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: The Deputy will be aware that Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service in the context of the Scheme nationally. Bus Éireann has advised that the set down point in question is the only suitable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann has advised that in 2014 four hundred and twenty four part-time School Bus Drivers were employed. The hourly rates of pay for Bus Éireann Part-time School Bus Drivers, applicable from July 2008, were as follows: New Entrants €13.13 per hour After 1 Year €13.66 per hour After 4 Years €14.19 per hour After 6 or more Years €14.71 per hour...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann is subject to two systems of audit inspection, both of which are independent of Bus Éireann. In addition to the independent audit inspection undertaken by Pricewaterhousecoopers that the Deputy alluded to, CIE Group Internal Audit also conduct regular audits on Bus Éireann offices. The Company also has an Audit Review Group in place, which includes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann has advised that each school bus contractor, as an individually licensed Road Passenger Transport Operator in their own right, is responsible for the maintenance of their own vehicles and the maintenance systems that they put in place to ensure their vehicles comply in all respects with all applicable laws, including the Road Traffic Acts, the Safety, Health and Welfare at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: The purpose of my Department's School Transport Schemes is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. Under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 km from and are attending their nearest national school as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Expenditure (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: Bus Éireann has advised that the level of detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. In this regard I have asked Bus Éireann to forward the information directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (6 Apr 2016)

Damien English: I propose to take Questions Nos. 715 to 718, inclusive, together. The information referred to by the Deputy is an internal working document in which my officials attempted to estimate expenditure on the LTAI EGF Programme. Being tentative in nature, this estimate is not sufficiently robust for use as a final estimated expenditure figure. As I noted in my reply, it is difficult to accurately...