Results 8,181-8,200 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data at individual school level in county order. The most recent information available relates to the 2010/2011 school year. Statistical information in respect of the current school year is currently being compiled in my Department and is due for publication in September 2012.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The new second level school for Lusk is one of 20 new schools, announced by the Minister in June 2011, to be established in the next 6 years. It will be a post primary school for 1000 pupils and it is anticipated that the first intake of pupils will be in September 2013. The construction of the new school will be delivered in phases. It is intended to deliver the first phase by September...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As I announced last December, the means test for student grants will be amended to take account of the value of certain capital assets as well as income for the 2013/14 academic year. A dedicated Capital Asset Test implementation group has been established. The group has been charged with bringing forward detailed implementation proposals on new means testing arrangements for student grants,...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158, 164, 172, 174, 178 and 179 together. There is no increase in the staffing schedule general average of 28:1 for the allocation of classroom teachers at primary level. However, there is a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. As part of the Budget decisions announced, the number of pupils...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In June of last year I announced that 20 new primary schools and 20 new post-primary schools would be established up to 2017. My Department recently informed patron bodies of the locations of new primary schools to be established in 2012 and 2013 and invited applications for patronage of same. My Department has prepared a report on these applications for the consideration of the New Schools...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (11 Jan 2012)

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 — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school, to which the Deputy refers, has applied to my Department seeking funding to replace temporary accommodation in the school. The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including the school referred to by the Deputy, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie and this will be updated regularly throughout the year. The...

Written Answers — School Evaluations: School Evaluations (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: All primary and post-primary schools are subject to external evaluation by my Department's Inspectorate. Evaluations are carried out under published procedures and provide schools and the public with an assessment of the quality of school management, teaching, learning and support for students. These procedures are not intended to encompass individual complaints. For obvious reasons it is not...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no specific plans in this regard. However the Deputy may wish to be aware of related activity in the activation area. The Government is in the process of establishing SOLAS - the new Further Education and Training Authority - with a new remit in this area. FÁS is being disbanded. As part of that process, over 700 former FÁS community employment staff have recently joined the...

Written Answers — Third Level Review: Third Level Review (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department provided funding to Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LKIT) under the Strategic Innovation Fund to examine the potential for a strategic alliance with the University of Ulster (UU) and to identify areas where additional higher education capacity could be delivered in the north west region. As part of the project, a scoping study was undertaken...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 171, 220, 221 and 230 together. As part of the Budget 2012 decisions that have been announced, the Modern Languages in Primary Schools Initiative will be cease at the end of the 2011/2012 school year. The savings from this measure will go towards the cost of implementing the new National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, which is a key commitment in the...

Written Answers — Education Sector Staffing: Education Sector Staffing (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The overall percentage of staff that earn more than €100,000 per annum in the sectors mentioned is 1.9%. The individual percentages for each of the sectors are as follows: - Primary and secondary level education = 0.6% - Third level education = 6.9% - Vocational Education Committees (non-teaching staff) = 2.1% - Department = 2.6%

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Jan 2012)

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 and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant. However, an applicant may...

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There are no financial supports available from my Department to fund the establishment of English language schools. Fáilte Ireland is responsible for the marketing and promotion of English language schools which are recognised under the Accreditation and Co-ordination of English Language Services (ACELS) function of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland. Questions Nos. 178 and 179...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 180 and 181 together. A proposal for an academy for children with autism was submitted to my Department for consideration last year by Achieve ABA. This was one of a number of proposals which were submitted to my department and which were not approved for a variety of reasons, including the ready availability of placements for children with autism in state...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Strategic Innovation Fund operated by the Higher Education Authority, the state provided €705,054 to Trinity College Dublin (TCD) during the period 2008-2011 in respect of the Centre for Contemporary Living. This funding award ended in 2011 and given the current budgetary situation, there are no plans for any new funding awards under this Fund. At present, there are 34 students...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 192 to 215, inclusive, together. It is important to note that a key aspect of the EU/IMF Programme of Support and Ireland's overall budgetary strategy is a requirement to reduce the public sector payroll. In the Education sector finding savings and controlling the increase in public sector numbers is particularly difficult given that one third of all public...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The names and salaries of each special advisor and other staff directly appointed by me, a Minister of State or those appointed by my Ministerial predecessors serving in this Department on 1 December 2009, 1 December 2010 and 1 December 2011 is set out in the following table. Minister Batt O'Keeffe T.D. 1st December 2009 Name Grade Annual Salary Mr. Bernard Mallee Special Advisor...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: While my Department does not run a graduate internship programme it does support and participate in various graduate internship programmes such as the FÁS Work Placement Programme, JobBridge – the National Internship Programme also run by FÁS and the Willing Able and Mentoring (WAM) programme run by the Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (AHEAD). We currently have...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Jan 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The funding of the George Mitchell Scholarship Programme is a reflection of the Government's gratitude for the significant contribution made by Senator Mitchell to the promotion of peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. An Agreement was signed with the US-Ireland Alliance in March 1999. An Irish Government endowment of IR£2 million was subsequently paid into the Fund. The...