Results 7,961-7,980 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Departmental Scholarships: Departmental Scholarships (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I regret that the funding is not available to me in the current economic climate to set up the scholarship to which the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I take it that the Deputy means to encompass all pre-school provision when he refers to Montessori Education. Montessori Education is one pedagogical approach in use in the Early Years Sector. Other pedagogical philosophies and curricula include High/Scope, Steiner, Reggio Emilia, etc. All of these curricula can operate within Aistear, the Curriculum Framework for Early Education,...

Written Answers — Departmental Websites: Departmental Websites (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The annual cost of maintaining my Department's website in 2011 will be approximately €27,500. This figure includes the cost of an annual maintenance contract, a search engine licence and the Department's contribution to the Local Government Computer Services Board (LGCSB) for hosting the website. In the past year a total of 979,299 individual visitors made 1,620,304 visits to this site, a...

Written Answers — School Placements: School Placements (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998 provides for an appeal by a parent or guardian to the Secretary General of my Department, or in the case of a Vocational Educational Committee (VEC) school to the VEC in the first instance, where a Board of Management of a school, or a person acting on behalf of the Board, refuses to enrol a student in a school, expels a student or suspends a student for...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: At this point I do not propose to give any specific commitment on the allocation of teachers to schools for the 2012/13 school year. The number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme. The Government will endeavour to...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The decisions arising from the comprehensive expenditure review conducted in my Department will be published as part of the Budget on December 5th 2011. The Deputy will be aware that every line of expenditure has been examined by both my Department and the Government in an effort to see what savings can be made as part of this year's budgetary adjustment. Any changes to Supervision and...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grant appeal to which the Deputy refers was received in my Department on 11/10/2011 and an outcome issued to the student on 17/10/2011.

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (30 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Existing education policy is that students up to 18 years of age may attend primary and second level schools, irrespective of their nationality or status. Funding is provided by my Department in respect of pupils who are validly enrolled in primary and post-primary schools. Capitation funding provided to schools and funding provided for caretaking and secretarial services may be regarded as...

Order of Business (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Fianna Fáil going back to its roots.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. Officials from the Planning and Building Unit of my Department have requested a meeting with the school and the Design Team to expedite the preliminary design process. When completed, the Stage 1 submission which incorporates the preliminary design will be submitted to my...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Only one of the students in question has appealed the decision of her grant awarding authority appeals officer to my Department and a decision will issue on this shortly. While the second student has indicated by a letter attached to a representation from the Deputy that she wishes to appeal the decision of her grant awarding authority, she has not actually made an appeal to the grant...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The amount paid by FÁS in respect of rent for the Birr Technology Building, Birr, Co. Offaly, is €99,000 per annum plus VAT.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was included in the School Building Work Programme for 2011 which was announced on 24th January 2011. The project is one of a number of projects which were authorised to complete tender documents in 2011. The Design Team have recently informed my Department that they are working on finalising the Stage 2b report, which includes the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Dec 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 — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department are examining the Deputy's request and will be in contact regarding the matter.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Dec 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 — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: From the information made available to my Department by the 66 grant awarding authorities, 43,082 students have been awarded a grant so far this year under the student grant scheme. This includes both new applications and renewals. The information from 33 grant awarding authorities in this regard refers to the week ended 11 November 2011. The information from the remaining 33 awarding...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The allocation for the student grant scheme for the 2011 financial year - which covers both further and higher education - is some €386m. The expenditure up to the end of November is some €286m. The actual outturn on the student grant scheme will not be known until end of year claims, which are now due, from the 66 grant awarding authorities have been received and processed.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (1 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that following an assessment of demographic data and the enrolment trends of primary schools in the Kildare Town area, I announced in June of this year that a new primary school will be required for the area in the coming years. In this regard, my Department is currently considering a number of accommodation options including the possible acquisition of lands at...

Financial Resolution No. 5: Income Tax (6 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I move: (1) THAT section 126 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 (No. 39 of 1997), in relation to the tax treatment of certain benefits payable under the Social Welfare Acts, shall be amended as respects the year of assessment 2012 and each subsequent year of assessment by deleting subsection (5). (2) IT is hereby declared that it is expedient in the public interest that this Resolution shall...