Results 6,481-6,500 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has reached agreement, in principle, in relation to the proposed acquisition of a site for a permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy. Liaison with the Local Authority on the matter is ongoing and an outline planning application is currently being prepared and will be lodged in the coming months. Due to the commercial sensitivities relating to site...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will probably be aware that, currently, there are four student grant schemes administered by 66 grant awarding bodies (local authorities and VECs) on my Department's behalf. However, earlier this year, the Student Support Act became law. This enables the consolidation of the four existing schemes into a single unified scheme. As a consequence, a fundamental review of the schemes...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As an intermediary company, POBAL manage programmes on behalf of a number of Government Departments including the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government, the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, the Department of Social Protection and the Department of Justice and Equality. The only area where my Department is working with POBAL is on a philanthropic project. There...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The rate of entry for Higher Level Maths in the Leaving Certificate 2011 is 0.05% lower than that pertaining in 2010. While the overall trend is downwards, too much significance cannot be read into a change of this order. Normally, around 20% of students who apply to sit Mathematics at Higher Level in the Leaving Certificate actually sit the examination at a lower level. A major programme...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 78 and 79 together. In 1999 the US-Ireland Alliance established the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme, a prestigious and competitive scholarship programme to enable American university graduates to pursue a year of study at institutions of higher learning in Ireland and Northern Ireland. The scholarship was named after Senator George J. Mitchell in honour...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The downturn in the construction sector has resulted in a significant fall off in the numbers of apprentices being recruited nationally. In 2009 the Higher Education Authority (HEA) consulted widely with individual institutions on the impact of the reduction in these numbers on the level of apprenticeship provision in the education sector. An independent evaluation panel was established, to...

Written Answers — Clár Tógála Scoileanna: Clár Tógála Scoileanna (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Tá ceannach an tsuímh a aithníodh don scoil dá dtagraíonn an Teachta faoi réir cead imlíneach pleanála a bheith deonaithe. Chuir mo Roinn tús i Samhain na bliana 2010 le hiarratas ar chead imlíneach pleanála a réiteach. Tar éis cainteanna leis an údarás pleanála maidir le forbairt bheartaithe an tsuímh, coimisiúnaíodh suirbhéanna agus measúnachtaí speisialaithe ar an...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In common with the ordinary rate of grant, the special rate of grant or "top up" is applied on an adjacent/non-adjacent rate basis. Therefore, in accordance with the change introduced by the previous Government to the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant, students qualifying for the special rate of grant living 24kms or less from their college will receive the...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together. In the context of whole-school evaluations in primary and post-primary schools inspectors examine a range of policies including the school's anti-bullying policies and procedures. They review the extent to which measures are included to prevent and respond to various forms of bullying. These include racist and homophobic behaviour, within...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 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. This now...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools are encouraged to make their facilities available to their local communities outside of school time. Decisions on such issues are matters for school boards of management. However, in such cases there would be a general expectation that the user would cover any additional costs arising such as insurance, heating lighting, cleaning and care-taking. Organisations running free grinds for...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to upgrade the school's heating system has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is solely for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for special needs pupils. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy, has lodged an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board for a review of its allocation for language support for the 2011/12 school year (Circular 15/2009). The appeal will be considered by the Board at its next meeting which is scheduled for the end of June 2011. The school will be notified of the outcome within a few days thereafter. The Appeals...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for a student's grant awarding body. The Deputy will appreciate that, in the absence of the all of the relevant details contained in an application form, it is not possible for me to say if a candidate qualifies for a grant. In general, students who previously pursued a course of study are not eligible for grant assistance for a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that under my Departments free fees and maintenance grants schemes students are eligible for free tuition fees and maintenance grant support respectively where they pursue an approved undergraduate course of study and do not already hold an undergraduate qualification. Therefore where a student already holds a level 8 qualification in physiotherapy such a student would not be...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (21 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107, 111 and 128 together. The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (21 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 117 together. The State Examinations Commission has operational responsibility for the certificate examinations. I have been advised that the State Examinations Commission (SEC) is satisfied that the questions asked on the Mathematics paper are within the parameters of the syllabus. In respect of specific queries which have been raised the SEC has...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that in recent months my Department has approved emergency funding for works to the water main, for roof repairs and for sewerage works at the school to which he refers. My Department is committed to providing a permanent building for this school and in this regard, officials in my Department have conducted technical inspections of two properties at the request of...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is referring to the changes to the student grant schemes introduced under Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government. I regret that the economic circumstances of the country are such that I am not in a position to reverse any of the changes or to limit them to new students.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received correspondence from the school authority relating to the matter to which he refers. The correspondence is currently being considered and a response will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.