Results 10,481-10,500 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Road Safety (16 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Detailed estimated costings have been received for the proposed works. These are being assessed and when this assessment is complete the Department will engage with Galway County Council regarding the timeframe and methodology for the completion of the works. It is anticipated that the required works can be carried out early in the new year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Service Reform Plan Update (16 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department of Education and Skills has in the Shared Services Plan for 2014 – 2016 committed to an extensive programme of reform which includes projects for Higher Education, the schools sector, SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards (ETB's) and the Department and its agencies. The Department is also participating in the Civil Service Shared Services projects for HR, Payroll,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Redeployment (16 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: No applications by public sector workers in agencies under the aegis of this Department have been approved for inter or intra Department/agency work transfers, both to and from County Waterford, in each of the past five years.

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy Breen for raising this issue. His particular concern is the replacement of the prefabs but, as he stated, Ennistymon CBS secondary school is one of three post-primary schools in Ennistymon that have agreed to amalgamate on delivery of a new school building. This building project will require a suitable site for it to be progressed. As the Deputy has noted, the Department...

Topical Issue Debate (Resumed): School Accommodation (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Again, I assure Deputy Breen that I will ensure that the officials in my Department receive a copy of the report he has given to me and that my Department will follow it up as quickly as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The curricula for the current apprenticeship trades are reviewed regularly to ensure they meet the requirements of the relevant sectors. With regard to apprenticeships in new areas, it should be noted that following on from the recent Review of Apprenticeship, an Implementation Plan was published by my Department on the 30th June 2014. As part of this plan a new Apprenticeship Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 210, 222 and 223 together. Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. In this way principals have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice. My Department helped shelter the impact for DEIS post-primary schools by improving their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Domestic Violence Policy (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is represented on the National Steering Committee on Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence. This Committee is chaired by COSC, the National Office for the Prevention of Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, which is an executive office of the Department of Justice and Equality. My Department is also implementing the commitments in the National Strategy on Domestic,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any pupil attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 213 and 214 together. The Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying in schools. These actions focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aim to ensure that all forms of bullying, including cyberbullying, are addressed. As part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Programme (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Government gave approval in March of this year for drafting the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2014 and the bill is currently at an advanced stage of drafting. The Bill is on the Government legislative programme for publication early in the Spring/Summer session. The objective of the Admissions to School Bill is to provide an over-arching framework to ensure that how schools decide on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Over 1,600 applications were received under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. In total, the spending of more than €70 million on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme has been approved to allow over 770 schools undertake improvement works. In that regard, I wish to advise the Deputy that provision has been made in the 2015 allocation for the carryover costs of the improvement works concerned. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Expenditure (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Spending of over €70m on the 2014 Summer Works Scheme has been approved of which €58.5m has been issued to date in 2014. The balance will be a commitment in 2015 in respect of Summer Works projects that are not as yet completed. While capital expenditure on the schools sector in 2013 amounted to €361.4m which was €5.6m shy of the allocation for the sector in that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Statistics (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Teaching Council, the professional standards body for teachers, have been asked for advice on the matter of teacher supply and demand. The Council is currently working to provide that advice with the overall goal of ensuring that there is timely information to inform the system generally and for planning in my Department. The Teaching Council has established a Technical Working Group to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, the school in question were granted approval in February 2014 for a mainstream classroom with en-suite facilities to replace a prefab unit. This additional accommodation will significantly enhance this 3 classroom school's facilities. My Department have since been made aware that the school, in question, are seeking additional funding to provide further works,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: SNA allocations are determined by the NCSE on an annual basis. Where the allocation of SNA resources to a school is reduced this may necessitate a reduction in the allocation of the hours of the most junior SNA(s). Where the hours of an SNA are reduced, a compensation payment is made to that SNA where they have the requisite service in line with the terms of DES circular 58/2006. Where a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The redeployment process takes place in the first half of each year and takes effect from the start of the following school year. The process operates and deals with any surplus for the following school year. The redeployment process for the 2015/16 school year will commence early in 2015. The numbers involved for redeployment will be finalised at that stage. Given that Budget 2015 did not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Water Charges Administration (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Department of Environment, Community and Local Government is the lead Department relating to Irish Water. With respect to the Deputy's question, Irish Water has indicated to my Department that the Commission for Energy Regulation (CER) in its role as economic regulator of Irish Water, will introduce a national connections policy to which Irish Water will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (17 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: When considering whether a student meets the conditions to be assessed independently of his or her parents, grant awarding authorities are obliged to satisfy themselves beyond doubt that an acceptable degree of proof of independent living in the relevant period has been submitted by the grant applicant. In exceptional circumstances, where it is not possible to produce such proofs of...