Results 721-740 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (15 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: The consultants WRC Social and Economic Consultants Ltd. (WRC) were contracted by the Department to provide certain administrative and technical support unit services to EGF funded programmes in Ireland under the current EGF Programme 2007 - 2013. The first phase of this framework contract concerns tasks in relation to the S R Technics EGF programme and was signed on 9 June 2011. The next...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (15 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand from FÁS that the person in question is recorded on the National Apprenticeship Database as a redundant apprentice at Phase 7 of his apprenticeship. I understand that upon completing Phase 6 of his apprenticeship the person obtained employment again with his employer but only for two weeks and that this does not satisfy the requirement for completion of a minimum of 12 weeks at...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: Under the terms of the school transport scheme of the Department of Education and Skills, a pupil with special educational needs is eligible for school transport if he or she is attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class, special school or unit that is or can be resourced to meet the child's special educational needs under the Department's criteria. To date, the...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: If the Deputy wants to pass on the details of the individual case he has mentioned, I will undertake to explore it further with him. Special education needs organisers have expertise in providing special education and assigning special educational supports to individual children on the basis of their unique individual needs. The policy we operate is that transport shall be provided to a...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I will undertake to examine that case personally.

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: Under the terms of my Department's school transport scheme, a pupil with special educational needs is eligible for school transport if he or she is attending the nearest recognised mainstream school, special class, special school or a unit, that is or can be resourced to meet the child's special educational needs under Department of Education and Skills criteria. While school transport...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I mentioned earlier that I have asked for a code of practice to be introduced for the provision of school transport to children with special educational needs. I hope that will help to expedite the process. However, I wish to outline the process whereby a child with special educational needs secures a school transport service. The application is completed by the parent and signed by the...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: Following on from the publication of the code of practice, I will undertake to discuss this with my officials. My sense is that as much streamlining as possible has already been carried out. There is a significant amount of tendering for unique, tailored services responding to the needs of individual children, but the tendering process, by law, is a pretty convoluted one, and there are...

Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I agree that this is completely unacceptable. If the Deputy liaises with our Department we will undertake to have a meeting organised as soon as possible.

Mental Health Awareness (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I take this topical issue debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank Deputy Harris for raising this important issue. Schools play a vital role in reducing the stigma surrounding mental health issues and mental health education features strongly in the curriculum. The social, personal and health education, SPHE, programme has been a...

Mental Health Awareness (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I share many of the sentiments expressed by Deputy Harris. He is correct in saying that in the past a major stigma has been attached to mental health issues in this country and where better to address that than in our education system. In making our children more environmentally aware we have succeeded in making them the environmental wardens or lieutenants of our country through the green...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government decided in July 2011 that there would be a major restructuring of the Further Education and Training sector. This will involve the creation of a new authority called SOLAS, under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills, to be responsible for the coordination and funding of the sector. The restructuring will lead to the transfer over time of some 700 staff from FÁS...

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: There are almost 6,000 Youthreach places available nationwide under the Youthreach umbrella funded by my Department. The overall number of approved Youthreach places is set at its current level because there is a continuing requirement to plan and control numbers and to manage expenditure within the context of overall educational policy and provision. Any consideration of providing...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: Changes in the School Transport Scheme were announced by the previous Fianna Fáil-Green Party Government and derive from recommendations in the Value for Money Review of the scheme. One of the changes announced was the uniform application of the distance criterion of 3.2 kilometres to all pupils travelling under the primary school transport scheme. This change, which came into effect...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (16 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: My Department has sanctioned a transport service for the pupil referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied. Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Schemes on behalf of my Department, is making the necessary arrangements in this regard.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (22 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand that in order to qualify as an electrical craftsperson, an apprentice must be employed by a FÁS approved employer and complete all seven alternating on-the-job and off-the-job phases of their apprenticeship, which is a minimum of four years (208 weeks) in duration from the date of registration, as well as achieving the qualifying standard throughout their apprenticeship. I am...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (22 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 179 together. The Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme (RAPS) was introduced in February 2011 to provide support to redundant apprentices to complete the minimum duration of on-the-job training with assessments at Phase 3, Phase 5 or Phase 7 of the Standards Based Apprenticeship Programme. This scheme has not been abolished. The budget allocation for...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (22 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 150 and 180 together. I understand from FÁS that redundant apprentices are paid a weekly training allowance when attending the following programmes to progress their apprenticeship training: Redundant Apprentices scheduled to off-the job training at Phase 2, Phase 4 or Phase 6 in a FÁS Training Centre, an Institute of Technology or a College of Further...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (22 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand from FÁS that with the closure of the Cabra Training Centre in December 2010, the Construction Plant Facility Course was transferred to Baldoyle Training Centre. I also understand there was a delay in calling referred learners for re-sit assessments. This delay is regretted and I understand from FÁS that it occurred for two principal reasons. Firstly, significant building works...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (22 Nov 2011)

Ciarán Cannon: Decisions on school transport charges are made by my Department in consultation with the Department of Finance as part of the annual budgetary process. The cessation of the role of the Transport Liaison Officer will have no impact on the matter.