Results 12,001-12,020 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 140 and 141 together. The Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. Many pupils with special educational needs will be able to attend a local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142, 143, 145 and 151 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that over €2.2 billion in funding is being invested by my Department under its Five-Year School Capital Investment Plan (2012 – 2016). Over €1.5 billion of this is being allocated for the funding of major school building projects across the country, including Co. Kildare. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available. The table below sets out the number of appeals nationally lodged in my Department. Section 29 appeals in respect of refused enrolment Calendar year 2014 Number of appeals lodged Resolved or Withdrawn Upheld at hearing Not upheld at hearing Primary 131 73 19 39 Post Primary 214 97 40 77

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am informed by SUSI that as at 19th April 2015 a total of 103,732 grant applications have been received in respect of the 2014/15 academic year. Of these 74,885 have been awarded, 28,561 refused or cancelled and 286 are pending. Of the 286 applications pending, 230 are currently under appeal and SUSI is working closely with the remaining applicants in relation to outstanding documentation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Service Provision (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The re-tendering process for approx. 2,900 schools is due to commence in the next two weeks, Naomh Bridhid will be included in these schools. All responses will be received by the end of June and the results of the tendering process will be known shortly thereafter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (22 Apr 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: Higher Education Institutions (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to inform the Deputy that a meeting has been arranged between officials from my Department, the Department of Justice and Equality and the Private College Network for Thursday 23rd April. The issues raised by the Network will be discussed at this meeting.

Seanad: National Council for Special Education Inclusion Support Services: Statements (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome the opportunity to address the Seanad on this issue. In February of this year I announced the establishment within the National Council for Special Education of a new inclusion support service to assist schools in supporting children with special educational needs. This service will include the special education support service which provides training for schools in how to assist...

Seanad: National Council for Special Education Inclusion Support Services: Statements (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the Senator.

Seanad: National Council for Special Education Inclusion Support Services: Statements (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank all the Senators for their very constructive contributions to this issue. We are not bringing in the new model this year because the National Council for Special Education working group report identified that we need time for consultation, to ensure we do this properly. There is no point doing something unless we can do it properly. We did not have the information from the HSE...

Seanad: National Council for Special Education Inclusion Support Services: Statements (22 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: That proves the point that we need to undertake cross-departmetnal work. I think I have dealt with most of the issues that Senators raised. I thought it was important to address the Down's syndrome issue so that such children would not have to wait until the new model comes in. That is because some schools felt they did not have certainty concerning resource hours for those diagnosed as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In February, 2014 the school referred to by the Deputy was sanctioned a devolved grant under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide 3 new mainstream classrooms and an assisted user's toilet. As a contract to have these works carried out has not been awarded, the amount of funding provided is commercially sensitive and cannot be disclosed yet. An application for additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149 and 150 together. The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. My officials understand from the EWS that they are liaising with the family in question and that they have outlined the educational options...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 to oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by the religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse. The determination of criteria and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's policy in this area is underpinned by the Action Plan on Bullying. Guidelines to assist schools in developing an Anti-Bullying Policy were issued to all schools in 2013. Schools may choose from a number of programmes available to them in order to deal with the particular issues they have identified and my Department does not endorse any one particular programme. Therefore, I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Eligibility (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provided emergency grant funding to the second named school in September 2014 to undertake repairs to its heating system. I understand that these repair works have commenced. The first named school also applied for grant aid under the Emergency Works Scheme to undertake works to its heating system. The school was requested to provide additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department feels that the question used to collect data on ethnic or cultural background should be harmonized across all the education partners and other bodies who collect this type of information. As the CSO is the National Statistical Office, we are taking our lead from them and we have used the categories that they used for Ethnic or cultural background on the 2011 Census of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As previously advised in a reply to the Deputy in February 2015, the building referred to by the Deputy is not in my ownership. In March 2010 the property was extensively damaged by fire. At that time, the property was subject to a 60 year lease between the Minister and the property owner. This lease was due to expire in March 2014. In late 2013 the Department reached an agreement with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (23 Apr 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My focus in Budget 2015 was on obtaining the additional funding that was necessary to provide for demographic growth. The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015.This funding will be used to provide 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs for our schools, as well as to fund prioritised...