Results 9,721-9,740 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn
- Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: Under budget 2012, teachers appointed before 5 December 2011 are not paid an allowance where they acquire further qualifications after that date. Allowances for teachers first appointed between 5 December 2011 and 31 January 2012 are payable up to a maximum of â¬4,226, which was the rate applicable to the honours primary degree allowance. This measure is concerned with the sustainability...
- Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The Government was obliged to make decisions across the budgetary framework for reasons that are all too evident to everyone present in the Chamber. Ireland is highly fortunate in that, unlike our nearest neighbours and other European Union countries, gaining entry to any of its five primary school teacher colleges necessitates being in the top 15% of the leaving certificate honours and...
- Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of the fears that have been expressed but it is far too early to state whether a trend is emerging. However, we will keep the matter under review. If those fears are confirmed, then we will be obliged to take action to reverse the position. It would not be in anyone's interest, for the reasons the Deputy expressed and which I support, for a deterioration in quality to occur.
- Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: I share that view. We will keep the matter under consideration.
- Educational Resources (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government contains a commitment to ensure a complete inventory of all school buildings and associated structures. This will be a major step forward and help to inform our future planning for schools. My Department is finalising proposals for the development of this inventory to expand on the information being collected and is working closely with the Royal Institute of...
- Educational Resources (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: No, it is a mix.
- Educational Resources (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: A typical provincial town with a catchment area in which 30,000 to 40,000 people reside may, for historical reasons, have up to seven or eight primary schools and three or four post-primary schools, including a former VEC technical school and a school created from the amalgamation of two schools run by the Christian Brothers and an order of nuns, respectively, possibly a college of further...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. The new arrangements I announced last December are designed to address the limitations of the current arrangements and will operate...
- Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that I recently published the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The overarching aim of the Forum's work was to ensure that schools cater for diversity and ensure an inclusive and respectful environment for all their pupils. The Advisory Group have presented a comprehensive report and I am aware that some of...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: Budget 2012 introduced a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. This increase is necessary given our budgetary constraints and rapidly rising school population. It is being phased in over three years to allow communities consider options for re-organisation. We have to ensure that the very valuable but limited resources we...
- Written Answers — Croke Park Agreement: Croke Park Agreement (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the review of allowances in the public service which is ongoing at the moment is being conducted by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform and I understand that the Minister intends to bring proposals to Government shortly. The Government has reaffirmed the key commitments under the Public Service Agreement, including that there will be no further...
- Written Answers — Third Level Participation: Third Level Participation (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: Ireland currently performs very strongly in terms of participation in higher education and has the highest tertiary attainment rate among 25-34 year olds in the European Union. Projections published by my Department in June 2011 show that the demand for higher education in Ireland is set to grow by 62% in the next twenty years. While welcome, the scale of projected growth will present major...
- Written Answers — Apprenticeship Programmes: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The recently announced Government "Action Plan for Jobs" confirmed a commitment to review our apprenticeship model this year. The intention is to provide an updated model of training that will deliver the necessary skilled workforce to service the needs of a rapidly changing economy. My Department has begun work on a paper setting out the various issues, including those referred to in the...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for these difficult and challenging times. A Value for Money...
- Written Answers — Third Level Admissions: Third Level Admissions (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 42 together. Higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their undergraduate courses and as autonomous institutions are responsible for setting their own eligibility and other entry criteria. Higher Education institutions are currently considering and progressing implementation of the recommendations...
- Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, as part of the overall Budget measures announced last December, it was signalled that it is proposed to amend the means test for student grants to take account of the value of certain capital assets as well as income for new applicants from the 2013/14 academic year. A Capital Asset Test implementation group has been convened to develop and bring forward detailed...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. The new arrangements I announced last December are designed to address the limitations of the current arrangements and will operate...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Institutions: Higher Education Institutions (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: There is significant debate around the relative importance attached to rankings criteria and on their capacity to fully capture the quality of what is on offer in higher education institutions. The Times Higher Education World Reputation rankings are a new set of rankings in its second year and are based on reputational surveys only. As the Deputy will be aware, the catastrophic...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: The staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year are set out in Primary Circular 0007/2012 which is available on my Department's website. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0007/2012. The...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Apr 2012)
Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that in view of the need to ensure that every child has access to a school place, 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. The five year school building programme is focused on meeting those demographic needs. This announcement represents...