Results 8,901-8,920 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I appreciate the Deputy's concern but do not share his opinion that money management should be a specific curriculum subject starting as early as fourth class. There is certainly a need for it at transition year level when teenagers are becoming young adults and are much more open to the vagaries of advertising and the other issues associated with coming of age. Home economics - a subject...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not share the Deputy's opinion. Mathematical skills are taught in a variety of different ways. Transition year is the appropriate time for linkages to be made between that and consumer consciousness, budgeting, household management and so on.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Work on the drafting of the residential institutions statutory fund Bill is at an advanced stage. I hope to be in a position to publish the Bill in the coming weeks. While it is not possible at this point to set out a specific timescale for the establishment of the fund, I can confirm that it is my intention to proceed to establish it as quickly as possible following enactment of the Bill.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The general scheme which is being drafted provides for the services to be provided to include counselling, psychological support services and mental health services, together with such health and personal social services, educational and housing services as the fund may determine. That is the wording that has been submitted to the Parliamentary Counsel. I know that many of the...

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: That is my intention. The Deputy has met representatives of the groups involved and will be aware there is no unanimity on what should happen. However, I will do my best. While I am open to having a wide-ranging debate on the legislation on Committee Stage, there is no clear consensus among the survivors.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government's intention is that €110 million will be available through the fund, being the cash portion of the offers made by the religious congregations in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan report. However, to date, only €21.05 million of the cash contributions has been received and placed in a special interest bearing account in the Central Bank pending establishment of...

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In line with the national strategy for higher education, the Higher Education Authority was asked to examine the inter-relationships between funding levels, the scale of growth and the maintenance of quality in the system in order that realistic and sustainable levels of growth in numbers could be supported and that better informed choices could be made on policy options for future funding....

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I share the Deputy's concern about maximising the use of facilities over a 12 month period. There is wide disparity in the activities engaged in on some college campuses compared with others. Members will be interested to hear that yesterday I met for the first time ever the presidents and chairpersons of the 14 institutions, including the DIT chairperson and president, Mr. Brian Norton, to...

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I agree with the Deputy and he may be interested that one question which arose at yesterday's meeting concerned collaboration across the Border. I believe in an all-Ireland strategy in respect of the maximised utilisation of third level education facilities. In the case of Letterkenny Institute of Technology in particular, which is somewhat isolated, there is an obvious argument for...

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I already have had informal discussions with the Higher Education Authority on identifying properties that could be utilised for educational purposes and which are under the control of NAMA. If the Deputy has specific queries or specific suggestions to make regarding useful properties that could be added to the Institute of Technology Tallaght, I would be more than happy to discuss them with...

Teaching Council (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: It is essential there is in place a robust system of regulation for the teaching profession. The Teaching Council's role is key to ensuring the development and implementation of standards for teachers' conduct and performance, which complements the work of initial and continuing teacher training. Much progress has been made by the council, as reports placed before the House illustrate. The...

Teaching Council (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 has passed through the other House and if memory serves me correctly, it will be introduced to this House next week at which time Members will have an opportunity to discuss this issue. I share the Deputy's concerns because many professional bodies, including my own, namely, the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland, have different rates of...

Teaching Council (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: If the Teaching Council wishes to give back €5 million, I would take it in the morning.

Teaching Council (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A new Teaching Council is to be established in the near future, by the end of March if memory serves, and as the Deputy is aware, the teaching unions and representatives have a say in the council's composition. If there is dissatisfaction with the manner in which the council has performed to date, the remedy is in the hands of those teachers who choose to exercise their vote or persuade...

Departmental Reports (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I announced the review last December in the context of the budget, where I made a further one-point change to the staffing allocation of fee-charging schools. I indicated at the time that the purpose of the review would be to inform future policy in respect of Exchequer support for these schools. The review will be completed in the coming months and in time to inform Government...

Departmental Reports (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I believe the figure of €120 million is an estimate based on multiplying the number of pupils in each school by the demonstrated fees. I understand that some schools have a mechanism for not charging fees, if the economic circumstances in a particular family deteriorate, to enable the child to finish school. One should recall that all secondary schools charged fees until the period...

School Accommodation (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I assure the Deputy that my priority is to ensure that there is sufficient school accommodation to meet projected pupil increases in the future. I envisage that this will result in school projects being undertaken in all school sectors to achieve this objective. In this regard, I have already committed to publishing a five-year plan which will outline the major school projects that will...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans to introduce computer science as a curriculum subject. The focus in schools is on using information and communications technology, ICT, as a tool in learning, guided by the ICT curriculum framework developed by the NCCA. This is supported by digital content on the scoilnet website, by professional development programmes for teachers and by investment in ICT infrastructure....

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not share the Deputy's concern that I have been captured by Marlborough Street. I certainly do not feel that to be the case.

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: That was a slightly different event and a different situation. Deputy Broughan is a professional educationalist, whereas I am not. I cannot argue with him in respect of the points he has articulated. However, the note with which I have been supplied states that it is not feasible to teach everything in school and that education policy is becoming increasingly focused on learning over the...