Results 10,181-10,200 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Expenditure supporting pupils with Special Educational Needs in 2015 will amount to over €1.3 billion, which is equivalent to approximately 17% of the overall allocation for education and training. These resources have been protected, or in some areas increased, despite requirements to make expenditure savings in other areas. As part of budget 2015, I recently announced that an...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are 130 new special classes coming on stream and the extra SNAs and resource teachers as I have indicated. The NCSE is consulting on a new model of allocation to ensure that the resources are in the school when the child arrives rather than the parents having to in some cases pay for a diagnosis and wait for the supports to be put in place. We want to ensure that the child is at the...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I do not have figures on the demographics but I can get them for the Deputy if they are available. One area the NCSE is looking to address is to get a sense of the kind of need in a particular area so that schools will be given the resources in accordance with that. It is looking for background data, for example, from the Health Service Executive, HSE, early childhood services where there...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: All special schools receive enhanced pupil teacher ratios ranging from 6:1, to 12:1, depending on the disability categorisation of pupils attending. These enhanced ratios are provided because pupils attending special schools have very significant special educational needs. Special schools also receive very high levels of special educational needs assistant staffing support. It is not...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Parents would be advised to engage with the school in that situation. I presume they have done so. I need to be careful about commenting on a particular case when I do not know its circumstances. In the first instance, the parents would be advised to engage with the school principal and board of management. Under section 21 of the Education (Welfare) Act 2000 the school is required to...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We would not like to see expulsion happening easily. That is why there is advice, support and interventions available. I do not know the circumstances of the individual case but if the Deputy wants to engage specifically on that case, we may be able to offer specific advice. As Minister, I cannot comment on it here.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: A number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced, including those establishing the National Council for Special Education and those promoting an inclusive approach to education of children. The NCSE had suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I have recently met with all Unions representing construction workers involved in the delivery of my Department's school building programme including officials from UNITE. These meetings have allowed me to provide valuable policy updates to the Union representatives including an update on the progress of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2014...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am aware of the survey in question and would firstly like to clarify that it found that about half of the 502 schools surveyed request voluntary contributions from parents and that, of those schools which request contributions, about 76% request less than €100 per family. Further the survey found that on average about two thirds of parents pay a voluntary contribution. The Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The number of one teacher primary schools has increased from 11 in September 2011 and September 2012 to 29 in September 2013 and 44 in September 2014. Given that the last of the Budget 2012 phased increases in pupil thresholds has been implemented the overall number of one teacher schools should now start to stabilise. In relation to the 44 schools in the current school year, 6 of those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I announced the 2014/2015 Minor Works Grant on 25 November. The grant, amounting to €28 million in total, will issue over the coming weeks to all primary schools with permanent recognition. Funding under the grant will continue at existing levels with schools receiving a basic grant of €5,500 plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2014/15 academic year as specified under the 2014 student grant scheme is as follows: 1. The student must qualify for the standard rate of grant; 2. Total reckonable income, after income disregards and Child Dependant Increase(s) are excluded, must not exceed €22,703; 3. As at 31st December, 2013, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On 2nd September last, I announced robust regulatory reforms to the International education sector together with the Minister for Justice and Equality. The purpose of these reforms is to protect the educational and consumer interests of genuine international students, to tackle abuse of the labour market and the immigration regime and to safeguard the strong international reputation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Despite continuing financial challenges, this Government has remained committed to protecting frontline education services as far as possible. This priority commitment was most recently demonstrated in Budget 2015, where my priority was to provide funding to maintain class sizes and to ensure that the education system could recruit more teachers. As a result, almost 1,400 additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department provides annual funding to the National Braille Production Centre, located on the ChildVision campus, to transcribe educational materials to formats accessible to children with visual impairment. My Department also supports St Joseph's primary and Pobalscoil Rosmini post-primary school which provide services on the ChildVision campus for children with visual impairment....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The proposal referred to was submitted to the Higher Education Authority as part of the consultation process for the new National Plan for Equity of Access 2014 – 2017. The Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) online grant application process for 2014/15 opened on May 8th 2014, earlier than previous years. In consultation with my Department, an earlier opening date for 2015/16...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is currently examining the extent and location of additional post-primary places that will be needed on a nationwide basis from 2017 onwards. This will include an examination of the north Kildare area. A submission recently received from An Foras Patrúntáchta in relation to all-Irish provision in north Kildare will be taken into consideration as part of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are limited alleviation arrangements in place for schools that are acutely affected by the impact of the moratorium at Assistant Principal level. These arrangements are mainly focused at post-primary level. However, I think it is fair to say that before the moratorium, notwithstanding the fact that one out of every two teachers held a management allowance the workload issue and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am reviewing the findings and recommendations contained in the report of the value for money review of small primary schools along with my Government colleagues. It is my intention to publish the report as soon as those considerations have been finalised. I also intend to outline my response to the report at that time.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Review (27 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Our current configuration of small primary schools has been examined by my Department in a value for money review which I am considering in consultation with my Government colleagues. The terms of reference of the review acknowledge the important role that primary schools play in their local communities and Government is conscious of this. Government will take into account the impact of...