Results 8,921-8,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not know whether that would be possible. We could certainly consider it in terms of reform of the junior certificate examination and make it a specific subject designed to prepare the ground for those young people who might wish to pursue a career in computers. There is a worldwide shortage of highly computer-literate people, which is why we are experiencing difficulties in filling...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Deputy Smith would have heard Lord Puttnam, who has a great interest in education and who is chancellor of the Open University, speak at several recent events. In the context of digitalising the written word, Lord Puttnam argues that the use of computer technology is transforming the blackboard into the white board. The use of ICT is transforming the way in which education and communication...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The policy of my Department is to promote the principle of inclusive education for children with special educational needs. My Department, either directly or through the National Council for Special Education, provides for a range of supports in schools to enable them to cater for students with special educational needs. This may include additional Resource Teachers, Special Needs Assistants...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The new arrangements incorporate a long overdue updating of the GAM (learning support) allocation for all schools. This inevitably involves changes to existing clustering arrangements whereby a teacher is shared between schools. A further change is that schools in any locality are being empowered to cluster and arrange their GAM resources in a manner that best suits their local needs. This...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 16 and 21 together. The Report on the impact, in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published earlier this week. The legacy disadvantage posts date back to programmes such as Giving Children an Even Break and Breaking the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Where there is a dispute regarding the award of a Contract of Indefinite Duration (CID) to a teacher, my Department's procedures provide for an appeal to an independent adjudicator. A teacher may also choose to avail of the Rights Commissioner Service. 53 adjudicator appeals were lodged in the 2011/2012 school year. 33 of these were dealt with without the need for formal adjudication with 9...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department determines the rates of pay and allowances paid to employees of vocational education committees and allocates funding to each committee to allow these employees be paid. As of 31st December 2011 there were 12,611 whole time equivalent (WTE) employees in the VEC sector whose posts were funded from my Department's pay allocation, approximately 85% of whom were teachers or...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In order for this country to adhere to its agreed economic recovery programme and to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2015 it is necessary to seek to reduce expenditure across all areas of my Department. Unfortunately this involves difficult decisions including the decision in Budget 2012 to increase the Student Contribution to €2,250 for the 2012/13 academic year. While the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Policy: Higher Education Policy (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: An implementation oversight group for the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 was established over a year ago and is chaired by the Secretary General of my Department. Nominations for membership have been provided by the Department of Education and Skills, the Higher Education Authority, Irish Universities Association, Institutes of Technology Ireland, the interim Qualifications...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that I will shortly publish a five year plan outlining the school building projects that will commence construction in that time The plan, when finalised, will be published on my Department's website. On the 19th December last, I announced details of 56 major school building projects to commence construction in 2012 as part of the €430 million education...

Written Answers — Higher Level Grants: Higher Level Grants (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Programme for Government indicated that the Government would "develop cultural and diplomatic links with emerging markets including through a scholarship scheme". A similar recommendation is also made in the international education strategy 2010-2015. It is in Ireland's long-term interests to identify and educate the next generation of business, political and cultural leaders in emerging...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The cost to the Exchequer of paying increments to teaching staff employed in primary schools in 2011 was €14.48 million, and €4.84 million to teaching staff in secondary and community / comprehensive schools. In respect of Vocational Educational Committees the information requested by the Deputy is not held within my Department. As each individual VEC is a separate employer it would...

Written Answers — Third Level Staffing: Third Level Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Individual higher education institutions have autonomous responsibility for the management of staff resources. While teaching hours norms are specified under standard agreed contracts for academic staff in the institute of technology sector, in the case of the university sector there would be a variation of individual teaching loads as part of overall academic duties. Under the terms of the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Public Service Pensions Related Deduction (PRD) applies to a public servant who is employed or holds an office or position in a public service body and is a member of a public service pension scheme or receives payment in lieu of membership of a pension scheme. A person who is not a member of a public service pension scheme, as defined in the legislation, or in receipt of a payment in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The recruitment and appointment of teachers to fill teaching posts is a matter for the individual school authority, subject to procedures agreed under Section 24(3) of the Education Act 1998. In recognition of the additional pressure of students facing state examinations, and the concerns of teachers who wish to ensure continuity of support for these children, I have made provision, for this...

Written Answers — Cross-Border Projects: Cross-Border Projects (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Education, Northern Ireland, is currently engaged in planning for a joint attitudinal survey exercise to inform cross-border pupil movement and school planning in the border region. The aim of the survey is to establish parental preference in schools and to enable those parents, who so wish, to send their children to schools on the other...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Induction Programme for Teachers (NIPT) currently provides specific training for mentors in the areas of mentor qualities, the role and responsibilities of the mentor and the role of the principal and the newly qualified teacher in the induction programme. The NIPT runs Initial Mentor Training Programmes throughout the year and this programme is open to teachers who wish to be...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 31, 39 and 44 together. My Department has just recently published Circular 0009/2012 to inform all post primary school management and staff of the staffing arrangements for post-primary schools for the 2012/13 school year, including in particular, the requirements to manage guidance from within the standard allocation. The circular is available on the...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 46 together. Responsibility for the payment of insurance to cover employers and public liability, and property damage rests with the Board of Management of primary schools, voluntary secondary schools and with the VEC in respect of schools operated by them. My Department does not gather information from schools or VECs as to the cost of providing...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wrote to all the congregations on 5th July last setting out the Government's response to the offers made and subsequently met with representatives of most congregations on 22nd July 2011. I have since met with the remaining congregations who were not in attendance at the July meeting on the following dates: the Sisters of Mercy and the Institute of Charity (Rosminians) on 21st November,...