Results 11,521-11,540 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations are approved annually in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In recent years, my Department has simplified the teacher allocation and redeployment processes with a view to giving earlier certainty to schools in relation to their teacher allocation and the arrangements for the filling of teaching posts. The reforms to the teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, this school made an application to my Department for devolved funding for a GP room. Given the current financial constraints within which my Department is operating, the position is that priority is being given to school applications for essential mainstream classroom and special education accommodation. In that context, my Department has advised the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Economic and Social Research Institute (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The report on Learning from the Evaluation of DEIS commissioned in 2014 is currently nearing completion and I expect to receive the report shortly. This report incorporates information in relation to the various inputs, processes and educational outcomes contained in the findings from the DEIS research and evaluations conducted to date by the Educational Research Centre and my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disease Management (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The position is that the Department of Health and the Health Service Executive (HSE) are the statutory authorities with responsibility for the public health issues referred to by the Deputy. The role of my Department in this regard is the dissemination of public health information provided by the statutory authorities to schools. The HSE have published guidance for schools on the management...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Schemes were initiated in 1978 and 1979 for the employment of Clerical Officers and Caretakers in primary and secondary schools. While a small number of these staff remain in schools, the schemes are being phased out and have been superseded by a more extensive grant scheme. The majority of primary and voluntary secondary schools in the Free Education Scheme now receive capitation grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, my Department provides maintenance grants to undergraduate students pursuing approved third level courses, in the State or in other E.U. Member States, to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those which relate to nationality, residency, approved course, previous academic attainment and means. Under the student grant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with Section 30 of the Education Act (1998), no student can be required to attend instruction in any subject which is contrary to the conscience of the parent of the student. This applies at both primary and post primary levels. I am not aware of any particular instances where a parent's wishes in relation to religious instruction have been refused by a school. This would be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that adjustments of €178m were required to be made in the Education Sector in 2011. As previously advised, a range of budget measures to the student grants have been introduced over a period of years, including those in Budget 2011. The Deputy will also appreciate that the student grant scheme is a demand led scheme and therefore the cohort of students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. Where a child has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with the Teaching Council Act 2001, the Teaching Council is the statutory body for the regulation of the teaching profession, including the recognition of teaching qualifications and the registration of teachers The decision of the Teaching Council to change its logo was an operational matter for the Council. The Council is self-financing and the cost of this change was not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with the Teaching Council Act 2001, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility for the regulation of the teaching profession, including recognition of teaching qualifications and the registration of teachers. The Teaching Council is self-financing; it is not financed from Oireachtas or public funds and its income is derived mainly from teacher registration...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Budget 2012 provided for the phased withdrawal of approximately 428 posts allocated to some schools under disadvantage programmes prior to the introduction of DEIS in 2005. Due to conflicting reports of posts being lost in these schools, my Department produced a report on the impact of the withdrawal of these legacy posts from DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 Schools. Following the Government's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: One-Parent Family Payment Eligibility (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is in consultation with the Department of Social Protection in the context of the review of the Student Grant Scheme for the 2015/16 academic year. As part of that process my Department is consulting on the reform of the One-Parent Family Payment, by the Department of Social Protection, to limit the impact for grant applicants who may be affected by this change. This process is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy recently submitted an application for additional accommodation. The application was assessed and I am pleased to inform the Deputy that devolved funding to build an 80sqm mainstream classroom and a 16sqm learning support room has been approved. This decision was communicated to the school in question on 12th March last.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: A major building project for the school, referred to by the Deputy, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The school's Design Team are currently working on Stage 2b - Detailed Design, which involves obtaining planning permission, fire certificate and disability access certificate and the completion of tender documents. Final Grant of Planning was received in September 2014. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The management authorities of the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to replace a slate roof at their school. As the scope of works for which funding is sought is outside the terms of the scheme it cannot be considered for funding. The management authority of the school has been informed of this decision. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing numbers. This will continue to be the main focus for investment by my Department in the coming years therefore it is not possible to provide funding for the provision of an astroturf pitch at the school referred to by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The building project referred to by the Deputy is included in the Five Year Construction Programme to proceed to Tender and Construction. The original design team appointed to the project had reached completion of Stage 1 of Architectural Planning. As part of that work and following an assessment of the current accommodation, it was agreed by the Department that extensive additional...