Results 8,881-8,900 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together. As the Deputy will be aware, Coláiste Pobal Acla was established in 2011 following the amalgamation of Scoil Daibhnit (a non-DEIS school) and McHale College (a DEIS school). In the case of an amalgamation involving DEIS and non-DEIS schools, DEIS status does not transfer to the newly amalgamated school. However, it is the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Social Welfare Benefits (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 272, 308, 316 and 326 together. The payment of an additional training allowance of €31.80 per week for the long term unemployed was introduced during a period of high employment levels as an incentive for the long term unemployed to participate in former-FÁS training courses. The payment of this allowance was later extended to those persons in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15 school year (Circular 0007/2014) are available on the Department website.The staffing level in the school referred to by the Deputy for the 2014/15...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Visiting Teacher Service (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The review of the Visiting Teacher Service was carried out in response to policy advice from the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) in May 2013, which recommended that the service should be reviewed. Accordingly, my Department commissioned an independent review of the service in line with the NCSE recommendations. The previous Minister advised the Deputy of his commitment to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The number of members of the Apprenticeship Council has not been determined. However, it is planned that representation will be drawn from the following organisations and sectors: - Business and Trade Unions - SOLAS - Higher Education Authority - Department of Education and Skills - Quality and Qualifications Ireland - Further Education Sector - Higher Education Sector I will make...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The call for proposals for the development and establishment of apprenticeships in new occupational areas will be made by the Apprenticeship Council and will be supported by a dedicated fund. The level of funding will be determined through the budgetary process. The Apprenticeship Council will identify if the proposals received have the potential to be developed into viable and sustainable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has obtained legal advice on the implications of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) judgement for outstanding school child abuse cases. The State Claims Agency has been reviewing the 45 cases current at the time of the judgement to identify those that come within the parameters of the judgement and this review has been completed and submitted to my Department for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commemorative Events (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is coordinating the contribution of the education sector to the 'decade of centenaries', which covers the period 2012-2022. This involves the development and implementation of a programme of events that encompasses all areas of the education sector. A number of measures have already been implemented as part of my Department's 'decade of centenaries' programme. These include...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm for the Deputy that my Department has recently received from the school to which he refers an updated report in relation to its existing accommodation. My officials will be in further contact with the school concerned shortly regarding both its immediate and long term accommodation needs.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Following the publication of the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector in 2012, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) has commenced developing a curriculum for ERB and Ethics for all primary schools. Development work by the NCCA is ongoing and contact has been initiated with the patron bodies responsible for religious...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular 0030/2014 is designed to clarify and restate the purpose of the SNA scheme, which is to provide schools with additional support staff to assist children with special educational care needs, including children with Down syndrome. My officials have held a number of meetings with Management Bodies and Parent representative groups to address any concerns which have arisen since the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Responsibility for the delivery of a new 16 classroom school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the Office of Public Works. The project is at the early stages of architectural planning and is one of the school projects approved to proceed to construction in 2014/2015. My Department officials are currently assessing options in relation to off-site accommodation that will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) is a tool for describing levels of language competence and is based on the understanding that the language learning pedagogy, including assessment takes a communicative approach. While there are communicative aspects to the teaching and assessment of languages in post-primary schools, including oral/aural examinations, there is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In the context of the implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle the only subjects that will be "compulsory" are English, Mathematics and Irish. This decision has been taken to give schools the flexibility to develop their Junior Cycle programme mindful of the educational needs of their own students and mindful of the principles, statements of learning and key skills as set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department recently received a submission concerning the establishment of an all-Irish post-primary school for County Cork. The Department's current five-year construction plan is focused on meeting demographic demands to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to accommodate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for Universal access works at the school. The school authority has been requested to provide clarification on a number of issues in relation to their application and as soon as this clarification is received the application will receive further consideration. The school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school to which the Deputy refers is in planning for delivery through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process. Planning permission for the proposed new school was lodged with the local authority on the 30th of June, 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's Annual Report for 2013 has been published and was laid before the Houses of the Oireachtas. The Report can be downloaded from the Department's website .

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (15 Jul 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that, following agreement in principle by the Government to broaden the current means testing arrangements for student grants by way of inclusion of the value of capital assets, my Department set up a dedicated implementation group to bring forward detailed proposals and subsequently received a draft report from the group. However, there is currently no agreement...