Results 7,141-7,160 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I was admiring the Senator's bravery.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Senators for their contributions and for their consideration of the Bill. I have made notes of the points made and anything that has not been satisfactorily discussed can be on Committee Stage. I hope to be back in the House next month for Committee Stage and I will present a number of technical amendments. I thank Senator Power for the support of the Fianna Fáil Party and I...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (21 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government has approved the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill to provide for the establishment of a Statutory Fund to support the needs of victims of residential institutional abuse. The legislative proposals followed extensive consultations with representatives of survivors of residential abuse together with a public consultation process. The report on the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware 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 — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (21 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department gives support and funding to a number of VECs to operate Outdoor Education Centres. There are 12 centres in all. The Teachers' Union of Ireland (TUI) lodged a claim with my Department for a substantial pay increase on behalf of the Directors of each of these Centres. Following protracted negotiations, my Department consented to an ad-hoc referral of the claim to the Labour...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The national strategy for higher education to 2030 lays out a clear development pathway for amalgamated institutes of technology which meet specified performance criteria to seek redesignation as universities. A small number of new technological universities, with their own legislative framework and a distinct mission that is faithful to the ethos of the technological sector, working with...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am not taking a different view, but I am conscious of the urgency of the criteria being published because of what has happened in the south-east region. That is why, since the most recent job loss tragedy in the area with the TalkTalk job losses, I have asked the HEA to accelerate the finalisation and publication of the criteria. As I said, I hope to have them by December and by December...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have asked the HEA to get them to me as early as possible, that is, this side of Christmas. Then it would be a matter - if I can anticipate the Deputy's question - for all of the institutes, specifically Waterford which has been to the forefront in this matter. The Deputy knows the history. The institute in Waterford was redesignated and as a consequence of that decision, others sought...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The HEA is not the decision-making body, as the Deputy knows from his own Cabinet experience. It will make recommendations setting out the criteria on which the Government will decide. I will bring the recommendations to the Cabinet and decide on them because of the importance of the matter. I will do this sooner rather than later.

Special Educational Needs (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The overall level of special needs assistant, SNA, support in the special school in Kildare, referred to by the Deputy, is being reviewed by the National Council for Special Education, NCSE. The school is a special school for pupils with moderate general learning difficulties and severe to profound learning difficulties and also has a number of classes for pupils with autism. The NCSE will...

Special Educational Needs (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand the Deputy's interest and his genuine concern, which I share in respect of all children with special needs. There are currently 56 pupils enrolled in the school, of whom three pupils have been allowed to attend only on a partial or limited basis by the school management and board, pending a review by the NCSE of SNA allocation levels. The school is seeking to have that level...

School Books (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, I am keen to examine if there are ways to encourage schools to establish or maintain book rental schemes, using funding from the book grant scheme. I believe this to be one of the most effective ways of lowering the burden of the cost of school books. I have invited the national parents councils at primary and post-primary levels to provide me with examples of...

School Books (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: To the best of my knowledge none of my predecessors took an interest in this matter and no initiative was taken at a political level in Marlborough Street to address it. It was regarded as an issue for schools and parents, which is not a view I share. We must intervene. If a school book rental scheme is in place, the likelihood of individual teachers at post-primary level changing, for...

School Books (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the academic year starts in autumn and finishes in June, we have only one window, as it were, to introduce the change. It cannot be done in mid-term. It is a little like the all-Ireland final. As the people of Kerry know, they will have to wait 12 months before they can have another crack at it. I hope to be in a position to have the two issues the Deputy raises addressed for the next...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 6 and 16 together. The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 lays out a clear development pathway for amalgamated institutes of technology which meet specified performance criteria to seek redesignation as technological universities. I have asked the Higher Education Authority for its formal advice on draft performance criteria, and the authority is...

Institutes of Technology (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: If I may respond to the second part of the Deputy's question, most people would agree that the way in which FÁS, soon to be changed to SOLAS, handled the globalisation adjustment fund was not acceptable. As the Deputy probably heard on the radio, there was a breakdown in communication which meant that front-line staff meeting unemployed workers had not been informed about this opportunity....

Residential Institutions Redress Board (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002, applicants had a period of three years in which to submit an application to the redress board, that is, until 15 December 2005, nearly six years ago. However, section 8 of the Act allowed the board to extend the period for receipt of applications in exceptional circumstances. The board considers individually each submission...

Residential Institutions Redress Board (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Since this House signed off on that legislation and announced that the scheme would close on 16 September, there have been 2,767 applications, which are being processed. Some have been accepted, some rejected, and so on. In deference to the time restrictions I will offer to write to the Deputy with the details. In all honesty, a reasonable window of time has been provided. The fact is...

Residential Institutions Redress Board (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not know but I will communicate that information to the Deputy. A number of legal firms have placed advertisements in Irish journals in the United Kingdom and elsewhere, as Members will be aware. Even if a person was so badly damaged from his or her experience as to be unable to make a proper application there was no shortage of lawyers prepared to do it. It had to be brought to an...

Residential Institutions Redress Board (22 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I had those discussions. There was a conference in July in the Clock Tower in the Department at which there were representatives from the Federation of Irish Societies.