Results 13,921-13,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The design team are currently working on the Stage 2(b) submission, including the preparation of tender documents, which, on completion, will be forwarded to the Department for review. The project is included on the five year Capital Investment Programme, announced in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland, that on 1st February 2013, 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: Asbestos Remediation Programme (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has recently advised the OPW to appoint a Design Team to carry out works to remove and replace the asbestos roof at the school in question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Responsibility for the delivery of the school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the Office of Public Works. The OPW have recently forwarded a tender report for this school project to the Department and the Department is currently, with the OPW, considering these documents. The school project is being progressed so that the accommodation required for the school will be provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I think it would be useful if I set out the sequence of policy and budgetary measures in relation to new appointees to teaching and their pay entitlements. The first measure took effect on 1 September 2010. It requires that, in order to be eligible to receive the qualified rate of pay and allowances, a person on their first appointment to teaching must be registered with the Teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to clarify that the staff referred to by the Deputy are not funded by my Department. I am aware that the Association in question is experiencing difficulties as my officials are in direct contact with the school under the Association's management and with the Health Service Executive. I wish to clarify that the level of teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support allocated to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I previously advised the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency with responsibility for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I assure the Deputy that there is no decision to close small or rural schools. I am aware of the concerns of the small rural schools and I am cognisant of the importance of schools to rural communities. Our current configuration of small primary schools is being examined by my Department in a value for money review. This review had been commenced by my predecessor in office is part of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Adviser Pay (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 106 and 107 together. The table that follows this reply gives details of the Special Advisers employed at my Department and their respective salaries, which have remained constant since the date of their appointment. The total salary cost for Special Advisers in 2012 was approximately €198,548, including the employer's P.R.S.I. contribution. While...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies Establishment (18 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Public Service Reform plan, the following rationalisations were identified: the merger of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and the Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Science into a consolidated single council under the HEA; the amalgamation of the Further Education and Training Awards Council, the Higher Education and Training...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Public Service (Croke Park) Agreement 2010 – 2014, teachers undertook to provide an additional hour per week to allow for a range of essential school activities, such as school planning, continuous professional development, induction, substitution and supervision (including supervision immediately before and after school times), to take place without reducing class...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that FÁS do not approve an apprentice to complete on-the-job phases of his/her apprenticeship with a company operating overseas unless the company has a registered office in the Republic of Ireland. However, in limited circumstances, apprentices who emigrate after completing all 7 phases of their apprenticeships, but who have not completed 4 years in employment with a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Since September 2012 the combined resources available for learning support (General Allocation Model at Primary) and language support at both primary and second level have been merged into a single simplified allocation process. There are currently over 4,700 such posts allocated to schools at primary level and 777 posts at post primary level. This includes the standard learning/language...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting an educational placement and provide early education intervention for pre-school children with autism. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme is available for downloading from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports including resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government has protected frontline services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget and there will be no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools for the 2013/14 school year as a result of the budget. The DEIS scheme for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a result of the budget. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: On 27th March 2013, the school referred to by Deputy was allocated funding on a devolved basis for the provision of two mainstream classrooms. A devolved project allows individual school authorities the means to address their approved accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives them day to day control of their building project. It is a central tenet of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, in June 2011, I announced that 20 new post-primary schools are to be established in the coming years across a number of locations to meet significantly increasing demographics in those areas. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish a new post-primary school in the area referred to by the Deputy. The Forward Planning Section of my Department will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (23 Apr 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The process of identifying suitable sites for education purposes takes account of a range of factors, including the demographic analysis produced by my Department, any existing applications for capital investment from schools in the area, the Development Plan for the area and the technical guidance documents issued by my Department regarding school design and site suitability. Given the...