Results 11,261-11,280 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (26 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Springboard is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part time higher education courses for unemployed people in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. Courses being funded under the second phase of Springboard 2012 were selected by an independent panel with industry and educational expertise, having regard to...

Resignation of Minister of State: Statement (27 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: She has already made it.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (27 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The person referred to by the Deputy was employed as a full time Special Needs Assistant. A review of the SNA resources in the person's school undertaken by the National Council for Special Education in late 2011 determined that there had been a reduction in the care needs of the children in the school. As a result, the school's allocation of SNA resources was reduced. This resulted in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (27 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the budget measure that requires schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is currently considering the position relating to the accommodation needs of the school to which he refers and my officials will be in further contact with the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Employment Support Services (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 141 and 142 together. Springboard, which was first launched in May 2011, is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part time higher education courses for unemployed people in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. A report of the first stage evaluation of Springboard which was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The application for funding to replace existing temporary accommodation at the school referred to by the Deputy has recently been received by my Department. My Department has been in contact with the school seeking the submission of further information. Once this information is received, my Department will revert to the school with regard to its application.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: At this point I do not propose to give any specific commitment on the allocation of teachers to schools for the 2013/14 school year. The number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: Roll No. DEIS BAND School Name Address County Total No. of DAS posts by school 2011/2012 60262T                               ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Status (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In the document, Towards a Future Higher Education Landscape, published by the HEA in February last, a clear four stage process and criteria was laid out for institutes of technology who wish to apply for designation as a technological university. Having regard to the process that has been put in place to assess proposals for designation as technological universities I do not propose to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Furniture (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Where the provision of furniture at schools is being grant-aided in whole or in part by my Department, schools must comply with my Department's specifications. These specifications require that school chairs conform to the Irish (and European) Standard which is I.S. EN 1729 Furniture, Tables and Chairs for Educational Institutions. This is a recent standard dating from 2006. Any proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sports Facilities Provision (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The management of facilities on the UCD campus is the responsibility of the university authorities. My Department did not fund the development of this facility and has no function in relation to how it is operated or in determining the charges which are applied for the use of the facility.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Course Applications (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Enterprise Ireland undertake out an annual review of international students in higher education in Ireland. The results of the most recent survey, which covers the 2011/2012 academic year, are being finalised. The initial figures provided by Enterprise Ireland indicate that there were around 32,000 international students registered in public and private Irish higher education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Individual higher education institutions have autonomous responsibility for the management of staff resources. While teaching hours norms are specified under standard agreed contracts for academic staff in the institute of technology sector, in the case of the university sector there would be a variation of individual teaching loads as part of overall academic duties. Under the terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. I am arranging for this information to be collected and it will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: 73 small primary schools were originally due to lose a classroom teacher in September 2012 as a result of the budget measure to increase the relevant pupil thresholds. The Primary Staffing Appeals Board considered appeals from any of the 73 schools that could show that their projected enrolments for September 2012 were sufficient to allow them retain their classroom teacher over the longer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Remuneration (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The following tabular statement gives details of allowances paid to some staff at my Department in addition to their basic remuneration as requested by the Deputy. As the allowances are paid to the general Civil Service grades within my Department to carry out a particular function and were agreed at Central level for the whole Civil Service no business case for their retention was required...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As you will be aware in June of last year I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established up to 2017 to cater for increasing demographics across a number of locations. These consisted of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish a new primary school in the area referred to by the Deputy. However, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The report of the Action Group on Access to Third Level Education made detailed recommendations concerning the introduction of special rates of maintenance grants for disadvantaged students. The target group of "those most in need" was defined in terms of the dependants of people receiving long-term welfare payments, where the necessary conditions are fulfilled. To qualify for the special...