Results 14,001-14,020 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since 2010 funding responsibility for the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) rests with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation (DJEI). My officials have consulted with that Department and I have been advised of the following: The 2015 budgetary allocation to the Programme was €32.014m. While not yet finalised, it is expected that the 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 to oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by the religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse. The processing of individual applications is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The "Rules & Programme for Secondary Schools" Section 37 - Paragraph (g), sets out the combinations of subjects which are regarded as mutually exclusive, and therefore cannot be taken in combination for the Leaving Certificate examination: 1. Physics and Chemistry and either of the separate subjects Physics or Chemistry 2. Economics and Agricultural Economics 3. Classical Studies...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The majority of primary schools and voluntary secondary schools receive grant assistance to provide for secretarial and/or caretaking services. Within the grant schemes, the level and extent of services provided is a matter for school management who, through the discretion afforded under the scheme, apply diverse arrangements for secretarial and/or caretaking services as resources permit. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places...

Seanad: Education (Welfare) (Amendment) Bill: Second Stage (11 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes, we wish to share time. This is probably a first for the Seanad in that two Ministers have come to respond to a Private Members' Bill, on which I congratulate Senator Mary Moran. I am sharing time with the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Deputy James Reilly. As Senator Mary Moran stated, while responsibility for setting the school leaving age comes within the policy remit of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. Individual school authorities are responsible for the drawing up of a school policy in relation to the wearing of school uniforms. My Department recommends that the formulation of such a school policy should allow for prior consultation with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Subject choices are a matter for the individual schools depending on resources available. The programme that each school plans and delivers should be based on the Department's approved syllabuses, and the teaching hours should be registered on the school timetable. The Department of Education and Skills does not have the authority to dictate to schools regarding what subjects are offered....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Eligibility (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), introduced in 1989, was designed specifically for long-term unemployed people who have minimal or no qualifications to facilitate their return to education and training. There are a range of other options available to unemployed people for upskilling in the Further Education and Training sector. Eligibility criteria for these programmes...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which is set out in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that my Department has recently received a revised proposal for funding towards a building project from the school to which the Deputy refers. This proposal is currently being considered and my Department will be in further contact with the school authority concerned as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the budgetary process in November 2011 a Government decision was taken to concentrate available educational capital resources on delivering school places and to restrict investment in higher education infrastructure to legally binding contractual commitments that existed at that time. The project referred to by the Deputy had not reached the point of being a legally binding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. The previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning – Stage 2b, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert, Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. A shortlist of prequalified contractors has been selected. All relevant statutory approvals have been obtained and the Design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The correspondence referred to by the Deputy covered many areas and I have set out below the position in relation to each of them. In relation to teaching posts, the criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts, including GAM/EAL (learning/language support) is published annually on the Department website. The staffing arrangements for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Reform (12 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that the Student Grant Scheme is reviewed annually. The review of the Student Grant Scheme 2016 is ongoing. As such, all aspects of the Scheme remain under review at this point.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: A comprehensive review of the Irish apprenticeship system was undertaken by an independent review group that reported in December 2013. Following consideration of their recommendations and consultation with stakeholders a new Apprenticeship Council was appointed in November 2014. The first task of the Apprenticeship Council was to issue a call for proposals from consortia of industry and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (17 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy for the years 2010 to 2014 is available in the table below. The information for the 2015/2016 academic year is not yet available. Teachers in Mainstream Primary Schools, Co. Meath 2010-2015 - 2010/2011 2011/2012 2012/2013 2013/2014 2014/2015 Teaching Teachers 883 907 925 947 965 Non-teaching Principals 52 52 57 57 59 Other Teachers (Full Time...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (17 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Information relating to teaching posts allocated at post primary level is not disaggregated by county. The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data relating to schools at primary and post-primary level, including the number of teaching posts allocated to schools (See table 3) . The most recent published information relates to the 2014/2015 school year. Data in...