Results 11,361-11,380 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Arts education (visual arts, music and drama) is one of the seven curriculum areas that comprise the primary curriculum, which was revised in 1999. Therefore all primary school children have access to an arts programme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought was forwarded by letter to the Deputy on 25 September 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the value of sites acquired for use in the public capital programme from private landowners by my Department amounted to just under €5m in 2010, and €10.25m in 2011. Table 1 contains the details. In addition, during 2010, my Department provided just under €9.13m in funding to a number of Vocational Education Committees to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The teachers to whom the Deputy refers are employed by County Cork Vocational Education Committee. This information is not held by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As announced in March this year, County Dublin VEC will be patron of the new primary school opening in Lucan in September 2013. This school will be a multi-denominational, English medium, co-educational primary school. Officials in my Department are working, in liaison with the patron body, to secure appropriate accommodation for this school to open in September 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy received funding under my Department's Summer Schemes in 2007 and 2010 for window replacement projects. Funding was issued in 2009 for toilet upgrade works. The school also received funding in 2010 under my Department's Energy Efficiency Scheme for wall insulation and were allocated funding earlier this year to replace equipment in the school's Home...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Correspondence (3 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The circumstance of this employment have been examined in detail by both my Department and City of Dublin VEC. The person concerned has accessed relevant appeal procedures. There is no further role for my Department in this matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Access to Higher Education (4 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The collaborative schemes HEAR (Higher Education Access Route) and DARE (Disability Access Route to Education) have been developed by the Irish Universities Association (IUA) with the overall aim of widening access and participation in higher education for school-leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or with a disability. Over the years 2006-2011 the Higher Education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (4 Oct 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: Student Grant Scheme Applications (4 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The process of assessing and paying third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority, i.e. local authority, VEC or SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) as appropriate. The timing of processing and payment of grants varies between the awarding authorities depending on a number of variables, including the volume of applications received,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Designation (4 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In my reply to Parliamentary Question No. 11 of 24 May 2012 I indicated that the State will continue to support educational provision for communities in isolated areas. The changes to the staffing schedule of small primary schools are being phased in over a three year period to allow schools to plan for their future, including possible amalgamation options. Ireland has a high proportion of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (4 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: Teachers' Remuneration (4 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The starting points on the Common Basic Scale and the allowances available to newly employed teachers prior to the recent Government decision on allowances are set out in the attached table. Not all of the allowances listed were available to every teacher as entitlement was based on the qualifications held by the individual and/or the nature of the post for which they were employed. Prior to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Services Provision (4 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 104 and 105 together. I can confirm to the Deputy that as a matter of course there is ongoing liaison between my Department and local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any proposed major housing developments and their possible implications for school provision. This level of close co-operation is underpinned by a Code of Practice for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Guidance Counsellors (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The day-to-day management of teaching resources in schools is done at local school level. It is not something I intend to audit as suggested by the Deputy. It is established policy that guidance is a whole-school activity and under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. I am confident schools will act in the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Guidance Counsellors (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: We do not yet have the full story in that particular case. The school in question has been in contact with the Department and additional resource hours have been made available. As it is one of the largest schools in the country - if not the largest - it faces certain pressures. The emphasis in the job description of those who look after the welfare of young people in our schools appears...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Schools Guidance Counsellors (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I will consider the Deputy's comments, but I will not make policy on the hoof in this regard. There are more than 360,000 pupils in the post-primary sector.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, following the Government's agreement in principle to broaden the current means-testing arrangements for student grants by including the value of capital assets, I set up a dedicated implementation group to make detailed proposals for implementation in 2013. The draft report I have received from the implementation group is under consideration. I will consult my...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: First, whatever decision is made, it will not start to take effect until the academic year 2013-14. We have a bit of time, therefore, and I want to use that time to ensure we get a satisfactory report that sets out in a fair and proper manner to achieve what it is trying to achieve, which is to get a degree of equality in terms of the eligibility of students and their households to apply for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not want to go into the precise detail or to in any way mislead the Deputy. What we are trying to look at is whether households that have a farm or a small business have the capacity, based on those additional assets plus the income they derive from the utilisation of those assets, to fund education in a way that is different from or additional to that of a family where the only income...