Results 10,321-10,340 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of the tender process. Subject to no issues arising, it is envisaged that the project will progress to construction in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a third-level admissions scheme for students with a disability. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. The Deputy may wish to contact the Irish Universities Association in this instance.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has no record of having received an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for the additional accommodation in question. It is open to the school authority to submit an application for this additional accommodation and the relevant application form can be downloaded from my Department's website www.education.ie.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A new online only grant applications system is being introduced for the academic year 2012/13. All new applications will be made online to a single awarding authority, Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI - a division of the City of Dublin VEC) which will administer the Student Grant Scheme on behalf of my Department. The online facility will be available through the website...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested is provided by the National School Annual Census Returns and is contained in the table attached below. RollNo School Name Address Line 1 Address Line 2 Address Line 3 TOTAL Enrolment 2010/2011 Walking Principal Full Time Equivalent Teaching Teachers/Principals Other full time teachers Other part time teachers FTE of part time Total teachers 05164I SCOIL NAOMH...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Several administrative improvements have been introduced to the student grant schemes in recent years to speed up processing. These include the introduction of a single unified grant scheme in 2011 to make it easier to apply for a grant. As the Deputy will be aware, from the 2012/13 year onwards, grants will be centrally administered by a single grant awarding authority, Student Universal...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The next meeting of the Primary Staffing Appeals Board takes place on Thursday, 14 June and the Boards of Management of the applicant schools, including the school referred to by the Deputy will be notified as soon as possible of the outcome of their appeal. The Appeal Board operates independently of the Department and its decision is final.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 175 to 177, inclusive, together. Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved by my Department in accordance with established rules and procedures. In accordance, each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range...

Written Answers — Third Level Institutions: Third Level Institutions (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 and 199 together. The reality of the economic situation and the public expenditure corrections which must be made in the coming years present challenges across all areas of public expenditure, including higher education. Moreover, the projected growth in demand for higher education over the next two decades creates further challenges for funding. Careful...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There are a wide range of further and higher education courses available with a foreign language as either a core subject or in combination with a range of other disciplines. Information on all relevant courses is available on the Qualifax website www.qualifax.ie. There are also a range of foreign languages available on the curriculum in second level schools – French, German, Spanish,...

Written Answers — Accommodation for Children: Accommodation for Children (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I reiterate that my Department has no role in relation to setting down minimum standards for accommodation or the conduct of inspections envisaged by the Deputy. It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that the accommodation which they secure for their child is of an acceptable standard. I would encourage parents to ensure they are satisfied with the standard of accommodation for anyone...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school submitted an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. All appeals submitted to the Primary Staffing Appeal Board were considered in accordance with the published appeals criteria that is set out in my Department's Staffing Circular 0007/2012. This was done at its meeting on 18th and 19th April. The appeal by the school was unsuccessful on the basis that the school did not meet...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 184 and 186 together. The National Council for Special Education is responsible for allocating Special Needs Assistants to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such supports and the staffing resources available to my Department. All schools were advised...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy was recently assessed for replacement of prefabs with a permanent structure under my Department's new Rented Prefab Replacement Scheme. Enrolments at the school have declined by 15% over the past 5 years and by 6% between 2010 and 2011. As a result of falling enrolments, the long term need for the prefab is uncertain and a permanent build option was...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This matter has been investigated further by my Department. There are currently two primary schools in which teachers who retired during February 2012 have been paid in excess of forty days and are still employed. My Department will contact the schools involved and request them to confirm that are complying with the terms outlined in Circular 31/2011. In the event that they are not...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188 to 190, inclusive, together. There are no second level schools that are in Band 2.1, that have completed stage 2(b) and that are not in the five year construction programme. There are, however, three such second level projects which are currently working toward the completion of stage 2(b). These are Colaiste Abbain, Wexford, RN71600B, St Brendan's...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grant scheme for the 2012/13 academic year will be published on www.studentfinance.ie in the coming week. As the Deputy may be aware, from the 2012/13 year onwards, grants will be centrally administered by a single grant awarding authority Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI - a division of the City of Dublin VEC) which will administer the Student Grant Scheme on behalf of my...

Written Answers — Education Grants: Education Grants (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The purpose of the Remote Area Boarding Grant is to give pupils who are educationally disadvantaged because of their remoteness from schools an opportunity to attend school on the same basis as other pupils not so disadvantaged. Pupils resident on off-shore islands that do not have a school providing suitable free second-level education may also qualify for assistance under the scheme. The...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This is a day to day operational matter for FÁS. The person referred to was registered as an apprentice electrician in August 2005; his current status on the FÁS apprenticeship system is "Unemployed" rather than Redundant. In order to participate in the Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme 2012 (RAPS), FÁS requires documentary evidence of redundancy in the form of a letter from an...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (6 Jun 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: One new staff appointment to my Department has taken place since March 2012. Ms Anne Kinneen was appointed as a temporary personal assistant to my colleague Minister of State, Ciarán Cannon, T.D. There were also two new assignments to my Department of existing civil/public servants since March 2012 as follows: - Ms Mary Doyle, Deputy Secretary, from the Department of Children and Youth...