Results 7,541-7,560 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is referring to the change in the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant which was introduced by the previous Fianna Fáil - Green party Government under Budget 2011. As that Government had factored in the savings from this and other changes to the student grant scheme to the public expenditure programme for 2011, I regret that I am not in a position to...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: There has been no change as to how local grant awarding authorities measure distances for student grant purposes. As in the past for all cases, the shortest most direct route to the institution attended is measured. I understand that a range of mechanisms can be used, for example, online mapping such as AA Route Planner and Google Maps. If the distance is disputed, the matter should be...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating teaching staff and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to special schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Departments criteria in allocating such support. My...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The processing of student grants is carried out by local grant awarding authorities – VECs and local authorities. In the circumstances, it will be necessary for the students in question to contact their grant awarding authority to ascertain the status of their applications.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Visiting Teacher Service for Children and Young People with a Hearing Impairment is provided by my Department from the time of referral through to third level education. The Visiting Teacher service provides advice and support to parents and schools to ensure the needs of children and young people with hearing impairment are met. This service is available at pre-school, primary and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder. My Department provides for the establishment of special classes for Specific Speech and Language Disorder in primary schools. Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school's assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser. Those...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Oct 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. Circular...

Written Answers — Summer Works Programme: Summer Works Programme (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme. A list of 453 successful schools was announced on 30 March 2011. Applications from schools for gas, mechanical and electrical works were prioritised under the Summer Works Scheme funding this year and I regret that the application made by the school in question was not...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In arriving at the decision on the headquarter locations of the new Education and Training Boards, I considered a range of factors including the need to ensure that the location of a VEC headquarters will, to the greatest extent possible, facilitate staff redeployment under a redeployment scheme within the context of the Croke Park Agreement and the need to operate at lowest cost having...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The processing of student grants is carried out by local grant awarding authorities – VECs and local authorities. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the details that would be contained in a student grant application form, it would not be possible for me to say if a student would qualify for a grant. However, to satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (26 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, it is my intention to lease the former community school site, including the sports complex referred to by the Deputy, to the City of Dublin VEC. My Department has requested the VEC to ensure that the club referred to by the Deputy continues to have use of the facility following execution of the lease. I am advised that the VEC has provided a draft user...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life, The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011-2020, which I launched in July of this year aims to ensure that teachers and schools maintain a strong focus on literacy and numeracy skills, within a broad and balanced curriculum. It sets out a wide-ranging programme of reforms in initial teacher education...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Nov 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. Firstly, I...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (2 Nov 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. Firstly, I...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Earlier this month, I announced and published the headquarter locations where VECs are being merged as a result of the Government decision to reduce the number of VECs from 33 to 16. In arriving at my decision in relation to the location of headquarters of the merged VECs, including the location of the headquarters of the Louth and Meath Education and Training Board at Drogheda, I considered...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Teacher allocations to secondary school are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In addition to this, schools can be allocated concessionary posts for a number of reasons e.g., curricular concessions, special needs, language support etc. The Post Primary Allocations section of my Department have allocated 7.38 whole time...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2005, following an independent identification process, 875 schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the Department's initiative to combat educational disadvantage. The school to which the Deputy refers was among a number of schools that was judged not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage to warrant inclusion in DEIS. An appeal by...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The standardisation of the staffing schedule for Gaelscoileanna so that it is the same as that which applies to primary schools generally was one of a number of measures introduced in Budget 2011 to control and reduce teacher numbers. While mainstream staffing for any school year is based on the previous September's enrolment, there is a provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The person in question has initiated an application for retirement with pension on grounds of ill-health. The application process has two parts. One part is sent to the Department for administrative purposes and the other part, which relates to the medical aspect of the application, is made to the Occupational Health Service provider. As only one of these parts has been received at this...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (2 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for large scale capital funding for the provision of a Sports Hall to my Department. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale capital projects and has been assigned a Band 4 rating. The progression of all large scale building projects, including...