Results 13,561-13,580 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209 to 211, inclusive, together. During the period in question, my department received proposals from Institutes of Technology for a total of 38 voluntary early retirements in respect of permanent whole time lecturers. The breakdown by college was: 2 from Sligo IT, 5 from IT Tralee, 17 from Waterford IT, 6 from Athlone IT and 8 from Dundalk IT. Up to 31...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The public sector numbers for 31 March 2010 were 31,860 primary teachers and 27,860 post-primary teachers. While education cannot be entirely spared in terms of decisions made in order to control expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long term, it has been protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure For September 2010, the estimated additional...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I understand that the income levy certificates have issued on a phased basis over the last week to approximately 100,000 teaching and non-teaching staff both serving and retired who are paid through my Department's centralised payroll system.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will be aware 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). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy may be aware that my Department has put in place a range of teaching and care supports for pupils with special educational needs. These include the provision of additional teaching and/or special needs assistant support in schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs, including Down's Syndrome. All primary schools have the benefit of additional Learning...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school was approved a devolved grant to build an additional two classrooms to meet the school's most immediate needs. The school was advised of this by letter from my Department on 7th May 2010. In relation to the learning support resource teacher, the general allocation model was introduced in primary schools in September 2005 to ensure that each...

Written Answers — Swimming Pool Projects: Swimming Pool Projects (20 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department's capital funding is made available for school and college buildings. Funding is not available from my Department for investment in the refurbishment of swimming pools, such as the one referred to by the Deputy, which are not part of school or college facilities.

Leaders' Questions (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: That was not the matter raised by Deputy Alan Shatter last week.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware that the need for budgetary adjustment has made it necessary to discontinue the Millennium Partnership Fund from the 2010/11 academic year. The fund was disbursed by local Partnership Companies, mostly in the form of small grants to individual students to cover costs of items such as books and travel. Most students in receipt of support from the fund will continue to...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: In line with the requirements of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Innovation and Department of Finance, FÁS discontinued funding for the Carrick-on-Suir Jobs Club on 21st November 2008 because it was unable to achieve the nationally agreed targets set up for these programmes. The two staff members were consequently entitled to a redundancy payment. The amount for both staff members...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department submitted an application to the European Commission in October 2009 for co-financing support from the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) towards the cost of a personalised package of retraining, upskilling, entrepreneurial supports and educational opportunities for workers made redundant at the S R Technics facility in North County Dublin. Earlier this year, the...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Placements under the Work Placement Programme are possible in the wider public service, subject to the agreement of the relevant parent Government Department. The placement of individuals under this scheme is not covered by the moratorium on recruitment in the public service. However, it is a condition of the Programme that any such placements should not displace an existing member of staff...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 to 416, inclusive, together. To date a total of 236 (104 Phase 5 and 132 Phase 7) redundant apprentices have been provided with placements with ESB Networks. Currently 99 (53 Phase 5 and 46 Phase 7) redundant apprentices are in training with ESB Networks. A further 65 Phase 7 redundant apprentices will commence in July 2010 and this will complete the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Department of Education and Skills does not provide funding to support participation in programmes of this nature.

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Section 28 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002 provides that both the Board and the Review Committee shall determine the disposal of the documents concerning applications made to them prior to the making of a Dissolution Order by the Minister, pursuant to section 3(3) of the Act. Any such Order requires a positive motion of each House of the Oireachtas.

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 419 and 430 together. A High Level Group is currently developing a new national strategy for higher education. That Group is examining how well Ireland's higher education system is performing, how it ranks internationally, how well existing resources are being used and how the system should be configured to best meet the many challenges it faces over the next...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations. I can inform the Deputy that the Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The primary statutory responsibility for child protection lies with the Health Service Executive. The role of my Department is to provide guidance and support to schools in implementing child protection policy and to refer any allegations the Department receives to the appropriate authorities for investigation. My Department has issued child protection guidelines and procedures to all...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The funding arrangements made by my Department for second-level schools reflect the sectoral division of our second-level system. At the core of all arrangements is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (25 May 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has received an application for large scale capital funding to provide accommodation to cater for the amalgamation of the two primary schools in the town to which he refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 1.4 rating. A technical...