Results 10,861-10,880 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Appointments (29 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that no representations, writtten or oral form, were received by me, my special advisors or officials in my Department from the member in question seeking persons to be appointed to positions that fall under my remit since March 2011.

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Design (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I know the Deputy has a particular interest in this area and thank him for raising the matter. As he is aware, under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The assessment of means under the Department's student...

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Design (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The eligibility criteria, including the income thresholds, are reviewed annually, in conjunction with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. We are willing to look at the thresholds and consider what change is required. The Deputy's specific proposal relates to flexibility at the margins. Many of our systems have cut-off points which apply across various Departments and we can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Qualifications (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Fáilte Ireland no longer operates as a training provider itself, therefore responsibility for the recognition of prior learning or experience in the hospitality and culinary sector rests with the training provider or institution offering the programme of interest. Individuals can approach Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) directly to enquire about recognition of prior learning...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training Allowance (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The payment of an additional training allowance of €31.80 per week for the long term unemployed was introduced during a period of high employment levels as an incentive for the long term unemployed to participate in FÁS (now Education and Training Board) training courses. The former FAS training provision was transferred from SOLAS to the Education and Training Boards during...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Provision (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The FÁS Overseas Graduate Programme (OGP), which began in 1983, placed newly qualifying graduates with honours degrees in Business, Engineering or the Sciences, into full-time employment with companies in Japan and China. The overarching aim of the Programme was to increase the number of Irish qualifying graduates with top quality international experience in their chosen discipline,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Boards of management of schools and other centres of education operated by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are sub-committees of an ETB. At the request of Education and Training Boards Ireland, Minister Quinn agreed to extend the term of office of boards of management of school and other education centres to the 31st December 2014. I subsequently provided for a further extension to a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school in question has submitted an application for additional accommodation to my Department. The application will be assessed and a decision will conveyed to the school authorities as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The main financial support available to students attending further and higher education courses is my Department's Student Grant Scheme. Under the student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution and meet the prescribed conditions of funding, including those which relate to nationality, residency, previous...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a major capital project for the school referred to by the Deputy has been included in my Department's 5 Year Plan. In line with the Memorandum of Understanding which formalises the local authorities' part in securing sites for educational use, my Department has sought the assistance of, and is working closely with, the relevant Local Authority in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: From the 2016/2017 academic year, it is intended that teacher allocations and capitation grants will be made on the basis of POD data, and the previous basis for allocations, the National Annual School Census will cease operation from that point. There is no mechanism for separate payment and allocation to schools for pupils that are not on POD, and from a practical point of view it is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Data Protection (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is in ongoing contact with the Data Protection Commissioners Office in relation to the retention period for POD data. The Department has previously received advice from the Data Protection Commissioners Office in this regard and will continue to closely consult with and seek the advice of the Commissioners office while reviewing the retention policy for POD data. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Data Protection (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is in ongoing contact with the Data Protection Commissioners Office in relation to the retention period for POD data. The Department has previously met with and received advice from the Data Protection Commissioners Office in this regard and no issues of concern were raised at that time. My Department will continue to closely consult with and seek the advice of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The software development costs of the POD project to date are approximately €230K. A POD Implementation Grant was issued to every primary school in December 2014. The total cost of the grant was €830,518.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has consulted and is in continued contact with the Data Protection Commissioner's Office in relation to data protection and security matters for the primary online database (POD). My Department did not hire any additional external or private expertise to advise on data governance matters for POD.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Four members of staff in my Department have administrator rights on the primary online database.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is a matter for each individual school to decide whether or not to purchase and run specialist school management information systems in their schools. Some primary schools have such systems in place while others maintain paper or simple spreadsheet records. My Department has provided a facility for primary schools to automatically synchronize data from POD to their local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 517 together. DATE OF INVOICE NAME AMOUNT REF  13/05/2010 Nick Bradshaw €326.70 Seán Lemass Awards 02/06/2010 Nick Bradshaw €326.70 Signing of building contracts 09/06/2010 Nick Bradshaw €326.70 Maths report 20/07/2010 Nick Bradshaw €326.70 Signing of building contract 15/09/2010 Clive Wasson €254.10...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Relations Contracts Data (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department did not incur any expenditure on external public relations from 2007 to 2010.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (3 Feb 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have...