Results 12,001-12,020 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of the above, I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 to 290, inclusive, together. My Department provides an annual grant to Co Dublin VEC to coordinate the Adult Refugee Programme. In 2011, 59% and 6.7 % of the annual budget was spent on tutors' salaries and national coordination costs respectively. It was decided to cease the Adult Refugee Programme as there are alternative education services available...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: It is not envisaged that a Minor Works Grant will be issued to the school in question or indeed to any primary school for the school year 2012/2013. At the launch of the Government's Medium Term Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework last November, I said that the priority in the education sector is to focus on major school projects and smaller projects devolved to schools to meet...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that officials from my Department were in contact with the Deputy and have clarified the information required which is set out as follows. Universities - undergraduate fees (average) 2008-09 EU Non-EU Arts €5,300 €14,500 Business €5,300 €16,500 Science €6,900 €19,000 Medicine €8,300 €29,000 2009-10 EU Non-EU Arts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 294 and 295 together. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA institutions. The HEA allocates this grant to institutions for free fees and core grant funding and other specific earmarked initiatives. Institutions receive a grant in lieu of tuition fees for full time eligible EU...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Employment Control Framework, introduced in the higher education sector , core staff numbers were reduced by 7.3% between December 2008 and December 2010 i.e. significantly in excess of the 6% reduction which had been required. Core staff numbers were further reduced in 2011 bringing the total reduction against 2008 to c. 9% by end December 2011. (It is to be noted that over the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that as institutions are currently in the process of uploading enrolment data in respect of the 2012/13 academic year on the Higher Education Authority's, Student Records System, that the data requested is not currrently available. In addition data in relation to students who have withdrawn from their courses would not be available from the Student Records System...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that the information requested by the Deputy is not available at this stage. I have asked the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to contact each institution in this regard and when this information is collated I will send the information to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware the student contribution increased from €2,000 to €2,250 for the current academic year. It is intended that the contribution will increase to €3,000 by 2015. The contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under my Department's student grant scheme. Conscious of financial pressures on families, tax relief...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that as the preparation of the Estimates for any Budget including Budget 2013 is carried out on a strictly confidential basis, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific issues or proposals, including those relating to student grants, in advance of the Budget announcement.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: To date Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) has received just over 66,000 applications for student grants this year, with close on 9,500 were late applications received after the closing date of 31st August 2011. SUSI are continuing to accept late applications. This data has been supplied to my Department by SUSI. A survey completed by the grant awarding authorities in January each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2008 the National Access Plan set an overall target of 65% participation in higher education by 2013 and a recent HEA estimate is that, including mature entrants, this target has been exceeded (69%). There has also been progress in increasing access specifically among young people aged 17 to-19 years of age. This has increased from 44% in 2004 to 50% according to the latest HEA estimates....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Recently this Government has made adjustments to Public Service pay on foot of the allowances review. The most significant adjustment is that new entrant teachers will not receive qualification allowances but will start on a salary of €30,702 which is equivalent to the fourth point of the existing scale. They will also have the option of being paid a pensionable allowance of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Ireland (SUSI), the new centralised grant awarding authority, that the student referred to by the Deputy submitted a grant application after the closing date on the 5th October. While SUSI are still accepting late applications priority is being given to applications that were received before the closing date. SUSI will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I previously advised the Deputy with regard to my Department's July Provision Scheme and how participation in the scheme is an option for all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism or severe to profound general learning disability that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. A review of the scheme is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Reform (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department holds Departmental Council meetings on a regular basis at which all of the staff unions are represented and they can place any issues of concern and/or any suggestions they may have on the agenda. In addition, officials from the Personnel Section of my Department hold bilateral meetings with the staff unions including the CPSU and the PSEU, who represent the grades of clerical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: For the Deputy's information there are no commercial semi-state companies/agencies under the aegis of my Department. Details of non-commercial agencies under the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's website.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) on foot of a request from my Department, has written to all higher education institutions requesting them to show flexibility and consideration, as most have done in the past, to students who may be awaiting a decision on their grant application and/or payment of grants. The HEA has requested institutions to consider not withdrawing facilities such as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (14 Nov 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: Special Educational Needs (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCSE has notified all schools of their allocation for the 2012/13 school year of resource hours for low incidence special needs. The arrangements for how schools access these resource hours in teaching posts are set out in the Department Staffing Circular 0007/2012. Under these arrangements a network of over 2,500 full-time resource posts has been put in place in close to 1,700 base...