Results 14,121-14,140 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (9 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that in the context of Budget 2012, I announced a three year phased adjustment to increase the relevant pupil thresholds for small schools with four teachers or less. The staffing arrangements in small primary schools are considerably more favourable than other medium to larger schools. As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (9 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that reasonable accommodations for students with special educational needs, who are taking State examinations, may include the provision of a reader or scribe, subject to the conditions set out by the State Examinations Commission, which are available at www.examinations.ie. Such accommodations are specific to participation in state examinations and are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Redundancies (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 223 and 232 together. The collective agreement on enhanced redundancy payments to public servants provides that public servants who accept an ex-gratia redundancy payment will not be eligible for re-employment in the public service for a period of two years from termination of the employment. Therefore, an ex-gratia redundancy payment would not be payable...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (14 May 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 schools for special educational needs supports, including Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I wish to advise the Deputy that there has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Graduate Support Schemes (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Over 700 people have been supported under the first phase of the ICT graduate skills conversion courses rolled out from March 2012. A total of 423 people are due to graduate from these programmes by the end of May 2013 and the remainder will complete their programmes before the end of the year. Arrangements for an evaluation of the first phase of the initiative to be carried out over the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Teaching Council's fee for renewal of registration was reduced from €90 to €65 from 1 January 2013. The fee for initial registration remains at €90; I am advised by the Teaching Council that this reflects the greater administrative costs associated with initial registration as opposed to annual renewal of registration. These include acting as a conduit for the Garda...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent and CID holding teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. The objective of the redeployment arrangements is that all surplus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The design team is currently working on the preparation of the Stage 2(a) submission. When Stage 2(a) is approved, the project will then progress to stage 2(b) which includes applications for planning permission, Fire Safety Certification, Disability Access Certification and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 8/4/2013 advising her that she was ineligible in relation to her grant application for 2012/13 academic year. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the deputy was issued with a decision on the 30/04/2013 advising him that he was ineligible in relation to his grant application for 2012/13 academic year. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language Issues (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 239 and 240 together. My Department has been in communication with both the NCCA and COGG. in relation to the co-location. I have been assured that the co-location is on schedule for this summer. Management in both organisations are in direct communications to ensure that any logistics that require to be considered are resolved. The main aim of this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers is among a list of schools that are planned to be delivered as part of the Bundle 5 of the Public Private Partnership (PPP) schools building programme. These schools are scheduled to be completed by the end of 2016. It is envisaged that construction of this Bundle of school projects will begin approximately eighteen months prior to this target completion...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (14 May 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 support....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the Five Year Construction Plan, that I announced on 9 March 2012, outlines the major school projects that will commence construction over the duration of the Plan. The primary aim at the core of the Five Year Plan is focussed on meeting demographic demands to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: To qualify for the special rate of grant an applicant must meet the following conditions: 1. Reckonable income must not exceed €22,703. 2. On the 31st December of the relevant period the reckonable income must include an eligible long-term social welfare payment prescribed under the scheme. In the case of a dependent candidate, the reckonable income taken into account is that of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department wrote to the school to which the Deputy refers in February last seeking clarification on a number of matters following a visit to the school by my Department's technical staff. A response from the school authorities is awaited.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (14 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides for an extensive range of supports to assist pupils who are deaf or hard of hearing. I can confirm that there are currently 11 special classes for pupils with hearing impairment attached to mainstream primary schools, 5 special class at post-primary level and 3 special schools. An enhanced capitation grant is provided to the special...