Results 8,101-8,120 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos 171 to 173, inclusive, together. It is anticipated that the funding available in 2012 for the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) will be sufficient to meet demand. I understand that this is possible for a number of reasons including a greater integration of delivery of supports to students with disabilities into the core activities of institutions which...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that statistics are not yet available in respect of the 2011/12 academic year. However, HEA statistics indicate that there were some 21,880 full-time postgraduate students pursuing courses in approved institutions in the 2010/11 academic year. Based on recent returns from the grant awarding authorities, it is estimated that some 9,435 postgraduate students were in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As a matter of routine, my Department reviews the student grant scheme each year to prepare policy proposals and to include changes announced under the relevant Budget. A decision on the reckonable income limits for postgraduate fee support for the 2012/13 academic year will be taken in the context of this review and the Scheme will be published in due course in the New Year with this detail.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the current means testing arrangements for student grants take no account of the capital value of savings or assets in determining eligibility for financial assistance. This approach is at variance with other major financial support schemes operated by the Department of Social Protection and other public bodies such as the HSE. A considerable body of reports...

Written Answers — Third Level Sector: Third Level Sector (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, UCD is an autonomous institution and the Minister has no role in its day to day management. However I understand from the HEA that the current UCD restaurant staff will continue to remain employees of UCD and UCD has no plans to change this arrangement. Management are currently in discussion with SIPTU and will abide by any dispute resolution procedures as set...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 to 101, inclusive, together. As part of the Budget decisions announced last week, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a teaching post in small primary schools will be gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. The schools concerned are those with four or less classroom teachers. It is important to emphasise that no small...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is committed to the provision, maintenance and modernisation of physical education and physical activity facilities in our schools for our children and young people. In a new school building or refurbishment/extension, PE facilities are included as an intrinsic part of the design. While my Department currently has no specific grant schemes in place to provide funding for the...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos.104 and 115 together. The Government announced as part of Budget 2012 that, pending completion of the public service-wide review of allowances, changes to teacher qualification allowances were being made with immediate effect. These changes will affect both existing teachers and new appointees in future. This decision was taken due to the upward pressure on...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the revised arrangements, which will update schools' General Allocation Model (GAM) allocations, based on the number of class teaching posts in schools for the previous year, reflect existing arrangements whereby differing pupil teacher ratios applied under the GAM in relation to boys, girls and mixed schools in order to account for differentials of prevalence...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions 106 and 107 together. Given the scale of our economic crisis, adjustments have had to be made across all areas of the public sector. Despite this challenge, the Government has sought to do this in as fair a way as possible. We have protected the pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, prioritised targeted support for the most disadvantaged schools and maintained the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 109 together. The Deputy will be aware that as part of the budget announcements the teacher allocation processes will be reformed to provide greater autonomy to schools and to facilitate and simplify the work involved in creating shared posts, and in carrying out redeployment and recruitment. As part of this process 1,600 primary schools throughout...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that the information requested by him is not held by my Department, as such cases are a matter for County Cork VEC. My officials have contacted the VEC and have ascertained that it would require an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile the information sought.

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the outcome of the case referred to is currently the subject of a judicial review application before the High Court. It would therefore be inappropriate for me to comment on the matter at this time.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, approval has been given for the opening of a new gaelscoil under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta in Dublin 15 in September 2012. The new school will serve the Mulhuddart Area. Arrangements for accommodation for this school are currently being advanced by my Department.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested is not currently available. My Department's officials will collate the relevant material and I will forward a final response to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department incurs expenditure on public advertisements in connection with a wide range of educational programmes and schemes including, staff appointments in the education sector; invitations to attend local hearings; invitations to forward submissions on education-related schemes/projects; invitations to tender for school building projects. The amount of money (to the nearest thousand...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a student grant. However, to satisfy the terms and conditions of the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware from my previous response to him in September that this project is at an advanced stage of the tender process. The project's Design Team is currently addressing a number of technical issues that have arisen in relation to access to the site. These issues need to be resolved before the project can progress to construction.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was included in the School Buildings Work Programme for 2011 announced last January and the process of appointing a Design Team will commence shortly. The current position of all projects on the school building programme, including this project may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Details in...

School Staffing (15 Dec 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The change that has been announced gives schools greater autonomy in how they allocate staff resources to best meet the needs of their students, including how they provide for guidance and counselling. It is a change to how resources are allocated to schools not a policy decision to terminate guidance provision as some may chose to present it. Until now, a specific resource was provided to...