Results 6,301-6,320 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

State Examinations (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: To answer the Deputy's first question and to the best of my knowledge, he is correct. The information published in the media yesterday was accurate and no one has brought any inaccuracy to my attention. The new 25 points bonus will not kick in until next year's leaving certificate examination. The Deputy's predecessor in the Cabinet's education portfolio was aware of the issue, since she...

State Examinations (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am informed by my colleague, the Minister of State, Deputy Sherlock, that the national centre of excellence in University of Limerick is developing programmes to up-skill the education and the delivery of education in the mathematics area and the other science, technology, engineering and mathematics, STEM, subjects. This problem must be addressed. The previous Government also recognised...

Teaching Qualifications (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The PDST has personnel with the necessary Irish language skills to support gaelscoileanna in terms of school planning and teacher mentoring. The level of resources provided to the PDST has fallen in recent times in accordance with overall budgetary constraints. Identified needs are responded to within the resources provided as quickly as possible. The service may augment its numbers...

Teaching Qualifications (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: According to the replies provided to me by the Department, we are not aware of a shortfall or lack of support through the medium of Irish in any of the areas sought by the schools in question. If the Deputy has specific details, please bring them to my attention.

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 17 and 18 together. Future demand for participation growth in higher education needs to be reconciled with limitations on public resources and a need to protect and enhance core quality. Although the nature of these difficult trade-offs is described in the national strategy for higher education to 2030, the strategy also identifies the need for more detailed...

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Am I correct that the Deputy attended the talk I gave?

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I was not sure as I did not see him there, but I would certainly have acknowledged him had he been there. Over 250 people from the academic side in all of the third level sectors were in attendance. While the Hunt report is not perfect, it is the only report we have and I will not pause to have a new report written or to get a new roadmap. Some aspects of the report are very good and...

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy must recognise that we do not live in the world in which he would like to live but in one where this republic has lost its economic sovereignty. We have lost control of our cheque book. Every fortnight, the Governor of the Central Bank must report to Frankfurt to state that our fortnightly returns in terms of revenue and cost reductions are meeting targets. Otherwise, the money...

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The only way we can do so is by trading and balancing our way out of the deficit of €9 billion. The Deputy could close down the entire expenditure of the Department of Education and Skills in the morning and we would still have a deficit of €1 billion. I will engage in debate with him if he will discuss reality on a platform of reality. Concerning fees, every public service has a cost....

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am not entirely sure of the answer to that question. Like the Deputy, I would have thought some form of vetting would be required and I presume such is the case in a number of areas. However, it was a member of the HEA who was surprised when the multiplicity of courses was brought to his attention. We must look at this situation because that kind of duplication is not justified now, if...

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is not my intention to put further financial barriers on access to higher education, particularly for those groups that can least afford it and from families which, historically, did not go to third level education. The strategic objective initiated by the previous Government, which the Labour Party in Opposition shared and will now implement in Government, is to get participation rates...

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy would need some 80 colleagues more before he can do that.

Third Level Funding (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I hope the HEA will come back to me before the end of this calendar year. We will not discover new crocks of gold and much of the data has been gathered but we must get hard information and look at the implications. It is a mixture of extra resources going into the system and economies being found within it. I am not the specialist to do that; we will ask the HEA and the participating...

Irish Language (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, has a long-standing arrangement with the Northern Ireland Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment, CCEA, whereby joint meetings of the two bodies are held periodically. One of the NCCA's strategic goals is the promotion of links with the CCEA. No joint initiatives are under way at present. The two councils previously...

Irish Language (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that a new Minister has been appointed to the Northern Ireland Department of Education, which is responsible for primary and secondary education in Northern Ireland. I had the pleasure of meeting the new Minister, John O'Dowd, in Dublin last Friday. We had made contact with each other after President Obama's visit. I was impressed by my meeting with Mr. O'Dowd. We...

Written Answers — Professional Development: Professional Development (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Professional Development Service for Teachers was established in 2010 following a reconfiguration of my Department's support services for schools. The total estimated cost of the service in 2011 is €14.9 million, of which the salaries of the seconded teachers who work in the service are the single largest cost item, at approximately €5.3 million. The balance of costs, an estimated...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 22 and 44 together. The Teaching Council has been informed that the relevant sections of the Teaching Council Act 2001 will be commenced no later than 1 September 2012. The Council has begun to consider the procedures and criteria for the induction and probation of primary and post-primary teachers that the Council would wish to implement following their...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Department Circular 30/2011 sets out the arrangements for the deployment of resource teaching posts in schools for the 2011/12 school year. The Department's approach has allowed schools "roll-over" their existing full-time resource posts on the condition that any surplus capacity in these posts is shared with other local schools. If the "roll-over" arrangements are not sufficient to meet a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I regret that the economic circumstances of the country are such that I am not in a position to reverse any of the changes to the student grant measures announced in Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil - Green Party Government. These changes included an increase in the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant. I am very conscious of the fundamental role played...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (8 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 26, 32 and 36 together. The very disappointing and worrying declines in the performance of Irish 15-year olds on PISA literacy and mathematics tests between 2000 and 2009 point to the urgent need to improve the literacy and numeracy standards of our students. The Government in fully committed to reversing these declines as indicated in the Programme for...