Results 13,161-13,180 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of the considerable demand for the provision of multi-denominational primary school places in the area referred to by the Deputy and that this demand has grown over the last number of years. I can confirm to the Deputy that discussions are ongoing between my Department and the authorities of an existing school in this area with a view to making a school building available for an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: On Tuesday 29th of January Minister Fitzgerald and I published the Action Plan on Bullying. I have broadly accepted the twelve proposed actions and have ring-fenced €500,000 to support implementation this year. The anti-bullying working group also recommended the establishment of an Implementation Group to oversee the implementation of accepted actions and recommendations set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) has confirmed that the application from the first named student is being reviewed and SUSI will notify the student directly of the outcome as soon as possible. I understand that the second named student appealed the original decision made on his application to the appeals officer in SUSI on 4th February 2013. The case is being reviewed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a grant. The student will need to have his eligibility for a grant assessed by his grant awarding authority. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 8th November 2012. The student subsequently appealed the level of the award to the appeals officer in SUSI. The original decision was upheld. A letter issued to the student on 21st January 2013 in this regard. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland that 3,061 students who have been awarded a maintenance grant as at the 12 February 2012 are due to be paid by SUSI. The majority of these students currently awaiting payment will be paid within the next two weeks, depending on their submission of bank account details. A number of students will be paid on Friday 15th February 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 24th December 2012. The student appealed the level of the award to the appeals officer in SUSI. The appeals officer has reviewed the case and I understand that a decision will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The principal means tested scheme provided under the aegis of my Department is the student grant scheme. While the Department is not involved directly in means testing for student grants, means testing is carried out on its behalf by, currently, 66 grant awarding authorities. Eligibility for a student grant is not solely based on means. Eligibility is tested against a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 302, 305 and 306 together. The decision to withdraw all Resource Teacher for Travellers posts was taken by the previous Government. The economic situation has meant that very difficult decisions have had to be taken in order to make expenditure savings and to ensure that teacher numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: This Government has tried to protect, insofar as possible, overall expenditure in education to ensure appropriate provision for all system users, including members of the Travelling Community. Current policy in relation to Traveller education is underpinned by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The cost of the response to residential institutional child abuse is now estimated to be in the region of €1.47 billion. The Government remains of the view that this cost should be shared on a 50:50 basis, between the State and those who were responsible for the management of institutions where horrendous abuse took place. Following the disappointing response from the congregations...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 70 and 85 together. I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that grants processing is largely up to date and that complete applications are now being dealt with as the requested documentation comes in. The following table provides a breakdown of the processing position of student grant applications received by SUSI on a county basis. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Participation in my Department's July Provision 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. All qualifying schools will be informed of arrangements pertaining to the scheme for 2013...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have been informed by Student Universal Support Ireland that the grant award letter that issued on the 28th January 2013 to the student referred to by the Deputy was sent in error. The Deputy will appreciate that in the context of SUSI having received in excess of 67,000 applications that some errors may inevitably arise when handling a high volume of applications...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: From enquiries made with the Education Finance Board, I understand that the Board approved 1,124 grants during 2012. The corresponding figures for 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 were 892, 1200, 1526, 1914, 1901 and 2108 respectively. Since 2006 a total of 10,665 grants have been approved from 11,392 applications, with the remaining 727 being unsuccessful or withdrawn. The Board...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that in 2011, I launched a discussion paper on school enrolment. The "Discussion Paper on a Regulatory Framework for School Enrolment" contains suggestions on how to make the process of enrolling in schools more open, equitable and consistent and is available on my Department's website. I also invited education partners and interested parties to submit their views...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency which, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, in accordance with my Department's established criteria. As the issue raised by the Deputy is an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Extra Curricular Activities (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy may be aware that there is already a very strong tradition of our teachers contributing generously to the many out of school activities organised by their schools. This is one of the strengths of our education system and this involvement contributes greatly to the breadth and experience of the education given to our children. This work includes building links with local youth and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I would like to inform the Deputy that in developing the new Framework for Junior Cycle which I published last October, I was very aware of the importance of meeting the needs and interests of the students and of enabling them to achieve their full potential and be properly challenged through improving their learning experiences and outcomes. The new Framework has 8 Principles - one of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (13 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to inform the Deputy that there are currently no plans for change of patronage to the school referred to in County Dublin. Consideration of change of patronage can only occur in partnership with the patrons and school communities concerned. Surveys of parental preferences regarding primary school patronage were conducted in 38 areas across the country within the last number of...