Results 7,841-7,860 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 Nov 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 student in question to contact his grant awarding authority to ascertain the position regarding his grant application.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy was included in the School Building Programme, announced early in 2011, for completion of the brief and subsequent appointment of a design team. The brief for the project will be concluded shortly and the tender process for the appointment of a design team will then commence. My Department has recently been in contact with the school regarding the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested is being collated at present and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 88 and 89 together. The Deputies will appreciate that the preparation of the Estimates for any Budget is carried out on a strictly confidential basis. Therefore, I am unable comment on issue to which they refer. However, in the context of the current economic circumstances, difficult choices will have to be made by Government to control public expenditure and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 and 91 together. The Government's Medium Term Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework, which was published on 10th November 2011, sets out the demographic challenge facing the education system in the coming years. Total enrolment in both primary and post-primary schools is expected to grow by almost 70,000 between now and 2018 (over 45,000 at...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, all schools are required to have in place a Code of Behaviour and this code must be drawn up in accordance with the guidelines of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB). The NEWB guidelines were issued to schools in 2008 and make it clear that each school must have policies to prevent or address bullying and harassment and schools must make clear...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The processing and payment of student grants is carried out by local grant awarding authorities – VECs and local authorities. In the circumstances, it will be necessary for the student in question to contact his grant awarding authority to ascertain the position regarding his grant application.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that there is one retired secretary general currently employed by a State agency under the aegis of my Department. The individual concerned took up a post in the Higher Education and Training Awards Council in January 2002 following open competition. The officer concerned has no entitlement to an additional public service pension in respect of this position with...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (17 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department does not have any contractual arrangements with employment agencies for staffing services. The Public Appointments Service (PAS) is an independent body established under the Public Service Management Act 2004 to provide recruitment, assessment and selection services for the Civil Service. My Department engages PAS when required to recruit administrative and non-administrative...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Vocational Education Committees (VECs) are not currently covered by the Freedom of Information Act. However, the Programme for Government provide that the Government will legislate to extend its remit to other public bodies. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is carrying out preparatory work to implement the above commitment, which includes consideration of the extension of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning. The Deputy will note that this project was not included in the 2011 school building work programme announced earlier this year. Although planning permission has already been secured, there are still outstanding elements of the architectural planning process which must be completed before the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department introduced an energy efficiency scheme in 2009 to improve roof and cavity wall insulation levels in school buildings across the country. The scheme which was implemented with the help of Sustainable Energy Ireland, allowed schools to apply for funding on a once-off basis to upgrade the fabric insulation in attics and the external cavity walls of their buildings. The closing date...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that the preparation of the Estimates for any Budget is carried out on a strictly confidential basis. It would not be appropriate for me to comment on media speculation or on specific issues or proposals, including those relating to student grants, in advance of the Budget announcement.

Written Answers — Information Technology: Information Technology (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to respond to Questions Nos. 154 and 155 together. My Department does not currently lease any computer servers. In order to reduce ongoing costs my Department is currently undergoing a storage and virtualisation project, which will reduce the number of servers from 125 to around 25. This project is due for completion by the end of 2012. Prior to the commencement of this project the...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for redundancy from the person referred to by the Deputy was received by my Department on 9th September 2011. Applications are processed in date order of receipt and every effort is being made to process these applications as quickly as possible. Applications received in May/June 2011 are currently being processed. Extra resources have been assigned to the Redundancy Unit to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that a proposal in relation to provision for mobility training at the school referred to by the Deputy has recently been made to my Department. This proposal is currently under active consideration and my Department will reply to the school in relation to this proposal in the near future.

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

Ruairi Quinn: The school in question was allocated devolved funding for the provision of a mainstream classroom under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme in 2010. The school subsequently requested further funding to have additional works carried out. In light of the competing demands on the available budget; it is not possible to approve additional funding to have the works referred to by the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department recently approved emergency funding for repairs to a gas leak at the school in question.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (22 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An appeal was received in my Department on 9 November 2011 from the student referred to by the Deputy. The appeal is appropriate to the independent Student Grant Appeals Board and a decision will issue from the Board within the timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011, which is 60 days from the making of the appeal.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (22 Nov 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 student in question to contact her grant awarding authority to ascertain the position regarding her grant application, particularly if she is of the view that she has already supplied the information now being sought by the grant...