Results 9,501-9,520 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staffing (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: This is my first time taking Priority Questions in the House as Minister for Education and Skills. I thank the Opposition spokespersons for their questions and I look forward to working with them in a constructive way. My Department publishes statistics annually including information on school size. In the last school year there were 29 one-teacher schools and 11 in each of the previous...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staffing (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The last element of the budgetary measures that were taken came into effect this September. The process took place over a number of years and is completed. All decisions are made on the basis of ensuring schools are sustainable, and that is the basis of the decisions made with regard to numbers. Some one-teacher schools are newly established and did not grow as quickly in their initial...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staffing (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am very much aware that the value for money report was with my predecessor and is now with me. I have engaged in reading the report. My Department is also engaged in discussions with the Catholic Primary School Managers Association and the Irish National Teachers Organisation on the proposals and on the general issue of smaller schools, not just one-teacher schools but also two, three and...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Staffing (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I intend to publish the report when those discussions have been completed. I intend to address the issue in that context.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Recruitment (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I indicated that I would engage with my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection, Deputy Joan Burton, to make sure the principles of the JobBridge scheme were maintained and that there was no abuse of the scheme. I can confirm that I have spoken to her about this matter. We have had quite detailed discussions on the issue. We also discussed the potential for the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Recruitment (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The general figures for JobBridge are positive, in terms of people moving on from it to full-time employment. I do not have the figures in regard to the Department of Education and Skills because they are held by the Department of Social Protection. I am not sure the specific figures are available, but will get them if I can. There are clear rules in regard to JobBridge and positions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Recruitment (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education allocated over 10,900 special needs assistant posts for the 2014-15 school year. This significant number of posts is an increase on previous years. The Department makes clear that JobBridge is not a substitute for those posts and it in no way interferes with a school's normal allocation of either SNAs or teachers. I do not have the statistics the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will always listen to the Deputy and his colleagues. My main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I share the Deputy's concern that we should reduce class size as soon as we can. However, we are still in a tight budgetary situation. In terms of the education budget, even if we receive the same amount as last year, we will need more because of the increased pupil numbers. This must be our priority. We must have teachers for the extra children. One of the issues in regard to the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I said we were above the average. I did not say we had the most crowded classes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I reiterate that we have had an increase of 2,300 mainstream teachers in the past two years. Deputy McGrath referred to children with special needs. The Deputy is probably aware that the National Council for Special Education has issued a draft document on how we might review the system. It is out for public consultation at the moment. The council is keen to get responses and hear the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: At the publication in November 2011 of the Government's medium-term infrastructure and capital investment framework, the emphasis in the education sector was focused on major school projects and smaller projects devolved to schools to meet demographic demands. Given the requirement to meet the need for additional school places over the years 2012 to 2016, it was deemed unlikely that minor...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I realise how valuable this grant is to schools. As Deputy McConalogue noted, the basic grant is €5,500 per school. There is €1,850 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs person. The grant is useful to schools for practical purposes like physical infrastructure such as items of furniture and equipment, including information technology equipment. Decisions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy well knows, difficult decisions have had to be made in all Departments in recent years because of the economic collapse and specific agreements on the level of cuts each Department has had to take. One of the priorities decided upon in the Department of Education and Skills was that the pupil-teacher ratio would be protected. That meant difficult decisions had to be made. As...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to return Government finances to a sustainable basis. I appreciate that the measures taken impacted on schools, including the reduction in capitation, and are not sustainable in the longer term. The multi-annual reduction in the funding for capitation and related grants involved a 2%...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The figures I have includes capitation. In fact, the 2015 element of the multiannual saving will result in an estimated saving of €3.3 million per annum. Those are the figures which have been presented to me and with which I have had to work. As I said, the main pressure with regard to the education budget is the demographics. We are constantly struggling, even with a neutral...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I said in my initial response that I am very conscious that we need to address this issue as soon as we can. I can confirm that was in the briefing document and I agree we need to address it. Clearly, there are specific issues schools have to address and they use the capitation money for that. In regard to the Deputy's point that anything to be spent in 2015 would not have to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will check it for the Deputy.

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's overriding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. However,...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the planning issue, the Minister, Deputy Kelly, proposed the general scheme of a planning Bill, some elements of which address some of the problems in terms of speeding up the process.