Results 12,441-12,460 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I intend to have a Teacher Fee Refund Scheme in 2013 and this scheme will apply to courses successfully completed during the 2011/12 academic year. As in previous years the scheme will be administered by Marino Institute of Education. Full details of the scheme have yet to be finalised but I expect details to be available in the first quarter of 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a grant has already been awarded and an award letter issued on 4th December 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a grant has already been awarded and an award letter issued on 5th December 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, FETAC was formally dissolved on 6 November when I established the new amalgamated qualifications and quality assurance body, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), which involved the amalgamation of FETAC with the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC). Significant work was undertaken...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 172 together. It is a key principle, enunciated in the Public Procurement Guidelines, published by the NPPPU, that the public procurement function is discharged honestly, fairly, and in a manner that secures best value for public money. Contracting authorities must be cost effective and efficient in the use of resources while upholding the highest...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is working with the relevant Local Authority in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy and options are currently being explored in that regard. However, given the sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this point in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Guidelines in accordance with the Student Grant Scheme 2012 are published for the guidance of the awarding authorities and are available from my Department. The guidelines have been made available at

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy a decision has now been made and a letter will issue shortly directly to the student outlining the position.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Foreign Language Assistant Scheme (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Foreign Language Assistant scheme has its origins in Cultural Agreements between Ireland and the countries of France, Germany, Spain, Austria and Italy. Graduates or under-graduates from these countries exchange with their Irish counterparts and are placed in second level schools for an eight month period (October to May). The purpose of the exchange is two-fold. Firstly, it gives the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the current school year is set out in Primary Circular 0007/2012 which is available on the Department website. In addition, the staffing appeal process at primary level includes the provision whereby schools with high concentration of pupils requiring English as an additional language (EAL) can apply for additional temporary language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The matter referred to by the Deputy involved two appeals to the Labour Court. The first concerned an appeal pursuant to the Industrial Relations Acts, 1946 to 2004. The second concerned an appeal of an earlier decision of a Rights Commissioner pursuant to the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act 2001. The Labour Court hearing was held in June 2010. The Department's position was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Government's budgetary considerations and the Comprehensive Expenditure Review last year, a decision was made to abolish the payment of grants by this Department towards the cost of student teachers' attendance at Gaeltacht courses. The decision came into effect for students commencing their programme of primary initial teacher education in the 2012/13 academic year. As the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that on the 2nd December, 2012 a request for further documentation was issued to the student referred to by the Deputy. When the requested documentation is returned the student will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The matter referred to by the Deputy has been notified to my Department by the school in question. The school have advised that an architect's report on the roof is awaited which they will forward to the Department. Upon receipt of this report, the Department will liaise with the school directly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A rapid construction building similar to permanent school buildings supplied elsewhere was provided in 2008 on the site that is currently occupied by the school, referred to by the Deputy. As the Deputy is aware, the building project for this school was included in the 5 Year Construction programme announced earlier this year. In the context of prioritising projects for inclusion in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a grant has already been awarded and an award letter issued on 4 December 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The following table provides a breakdown on a county basis of the number of students who have been awarded a student grant and the numbers who received payment of their student maintenance grants as at 10 December, 2012 from Student Universal Support Ireland. The data has been supplied to my Department by SUSI. Breakdown by County of student maintenance grants awarded/paid as at 10th...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that further documentation was received from the student referred to by the Deputy on 8 December 2012 and this documentation is currently awaiting review. The student will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that officials from my Department recently carried out an examination of the existing primary school buildings in the area to which he refers and a report will now be prepared. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department's attention is primarily focused on identifying and securing a suitable site for a new post primary school building in the area and my Department...