Results 8,741-8,760 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I announced measures in November 2011 permitting post-primary schools to re-employ teachers who retire between 1 December 2011 and 29 February 2012 and who, immediately before their retirement, have been teaching students preparing to sit the Junior or Leaving Certificate examinations in 2012. Such teachers may be re-employed until the summer holidays for the teaching duties for which they...

Written Answers — Personal Vacation Days: Personal Vacation Days (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A teacher's entitlement to extra personal vacation (EPV) days is on the basis of attending approved summer courses. My Department has in place, a quality assurance system that approves all summer courses and evaluates a sample of summer courses. This is necessary to ensure that the summer courses on offer to teachers and which are eligible for EPV days, foster and facilitate quality...

Written Answers — Information and Communications Technology: Information and Communications Technology (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A working group comprising representatives from my Department, HEAnet and the Department of Communications and Natural Resources have recommended a strategy for the roll out of 100mbps to post primary schools. All schools will be connected by the end of 2014. The strategy which has been accepted by Government is based upon the best technical advice available and designed to achieve best...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Plans are well underway to replace the 66 existing student grant awarding bodies with one single grant awarding authority. I have appointed the City of Dublin VEC to operate the centralised authority commencing operation for all new grant applicants for the 2012/13 academic year and implementation arrangements are well advanced for this purpose. The office will be located in Ballsbridge,...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The new simplified approach to the General Allocation Model of support for schools will make it easier to automatically update it annually in line with the changes in the number of classroom teachers in each school. Schools will also have autonomy on how to deploy the resource between language support and learning support depending on their specific needs. The arrangements for the staffing...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 201, 202, 204 and 223 together. My Department will be notifying schools in the coming weeks of the new staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year. It will include detail of the staffing appeals process and appeal criterion for those small schools that are projecting increased enrolments that would be sufficient to allow them to retain their existing...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and an integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS, was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of my Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The project for the school to which the Deputy refers, commenced construction in February 2011. It is anticipated that the project will be complete in quarter 3 of 2012.

Written Answers — School Enrolment: School Enrolment (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 206 and 250 together. The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Mock examinations are not part of the State examinations system. The decision to organise and/or charge for mock examinations is made at school level, and mock examinations are not a requirement of my Department. Schools are provided with capitation and school services grants to meet their running costs. Post-primary schools receive school services grant of €201 per pupil plus a...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has carried out a number of site assessments with a view to identifying a suitable site for the school referred to by the Deputy. Due to commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally it is not possible for me to comment further at this time.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The process of identifying schools for participation in DEIS in 2005 was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of my Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate. ERC's overall approach was guided by the definition of educational disadvantage set out in the Education Act 1998 as "the...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Project Maths began in all second level schools in September 2010, building on the experiences of 24 Project Schools which started the programme in 2008. This is being supported by a national programme of professional development for teachers which began in 2009, and will continue to at least 2013. A Project Maths implementation support group, as an industry/education partnership, reported...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The survey conducted by the Teaching Council provided a good overview of the qualifications of math teachers. All post-primary schools were requested to participate in the survey and there were 422 valid responses. The results provide a clear picture of what is actually happening in schools and help the Department to plan for meeting the training needs of teachers. The survey is now closed...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: An organisational chart detailing officials and their responsibilities within my Department is set out as follows for the Deputy's information.

Written Answers — Garda Reserve: Garda Reserve (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that the decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. However, I am informed that payments made in respect of the Garda Reserve Allowance are taxable and are therefore included in the assessment of income for student grant purposes. The assessment of means under my Department's Student Grants Scheme is based on...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 214 and 242 together. Under Circular 70/2011 teachers who have been engaged in a public sector teaching post on or before 4 December 2011 are eligible to retain the allowances they were entitled to be in receipt of on that date. Existing teachers will not be paid any additional allowance where they acquire any further qualification on or after 5 December...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested is included for the Deputy's information. It should be noted that Board appointments, while made by me, as Minister, are not in all cases made at my sole discretion. Individuals may be nominated for appointment by various organisations as specified in the relevant statute of the body concerned. The Deputy may also wish to note that my Department has recently...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The 17 programmes on offer in the new level 8 conversion programme will provide for 768 places countrywide. The courses will be delivered on average over two semesters of 12/13 weeks study and will include a period of about 12 weeks work experience. Applications for the programmes can be submitted online through the Bluebrick.ie website. To date 422 applications have been received. The...

Written Answers — Value for Money Reviews: Value for Money Reviews (14 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A value for money review on small primary schools is currently under way in my Department. This review is part of the normal review processes undertaken by all Departments on an annual basis on selected areas of expenditure and is being conducted in line with the standard procedure for value for money reviews. Work on the review is well advanced and I expect that the report of the review...