Results 14,481-14,500 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The 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. Children with autism in mainstream classes are eligible to apply for home based tuition, but can, in limited...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, there are two schools on this site, a Junior School and a Senior School. Both schools have temporary accommodation, in the ownership of the schools, in addition to their permanent structures and have applied to my Department for replacement permanent buildings. The next step to progressing a building project for the schools involves the appointment of a design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department uses a Geographical Information System to analyse demographic data to determine the areas where additional school accommodation may be required. A variety of sources are used in this analysis, including census data, school enrolment data and child benefit data obtained from the Department of Social Protection. Using this system, up to 2018 a need for some 1,540 additional...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank Chairman and committee members. I will speak to the paper I have prepared, which has been circulated, and go down through the headings rather than read it formally into the record, but I presume it can be taken as being read formally into the record. The first issue is literacy and numeracy. In 2009, this State got a wake up call in regard to our presumption that we had one of the...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The intention is to have six clusters or six coming together.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Chairman should try to ensure my answers are short, as I have a tendency to go on a bit. To answer Deputy Kitt's question, we do not expect that there will be a gap. Some teacher unions have complained about the number who are qualifying as teachers or applying to undertake a transfer degree course. For example, someone with an arts degree can apply to take the conversion course to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It was a long way back. On Deputy Frank Feighan's question about the area-based initiative, I am not entirely sure and must revert to him to ensure greater clarity. While there is an application process, I do not have the details to hand, but I will forward them to him. On the reference to inclusive schools and the reason for the enrolment policy measures I have discussed, we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Is this the cross-Border strategy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: What numbers would Deputy Smith consider substantial?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I welcome Pat Doherty. We go back a bit in time. The joint survey to which he refers was an initiative proposed by my Northern counterpart, Mr. John O'Dowd, MLA, and it responds to some of the matters about which Deputy Smith asked. There was an initial resistance from the Unionist side in Northern Ireland to it but I fully supported it. We undertook a survey of parents on either side of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I agree with the Senator, but the legacy is of junior and senior infant classes at INTO rates of pay. That is the cost factor, to cut to the chase. I have just come back from a new school where there was capacity, and there is a not-for-profit pre-school in it. It is facilitating parents and it works. I would like to see co-operation on the history curriculum. We should get away from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy appealed a decision. SUSI reviewed his application and the student was issued with a decision on 5 June 2013. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been interpreted...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending arrangements in different households. In the interest of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland, that on 5 June 2013, a request for supporting documentation was issued to the student referred to by the Deputy. When this is returned, the student will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 221 and 305 together. I wish to advise the Deputies that my Department is aware of the accommodation needs of the school in question. Professional and Technical staff from South Dublin County Council and my Department have discussed possibilities in relation to using lands adjacent to the existing school for a new school building. However, given the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Education Committees Expenditure (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In Budget 2013, it was decided to reduce the non-pay grant to Vocational Education Committees (VECs) by some €13.2 million. This decision took account of the capacity of VECs to utilise cash balances on a once-off basis. VECs have been informed that they are required to provide the same level of service in 2013 as in 2012 and that, in this regard, they may incur expenditure up to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The management authorities of the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to carry out various improvement works at their school. As the scope of works for which funding is sought is outside the terms of the scheme, they cannot be considered for funding. The management authority of the school has been informed of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school building project referred to was included in the €50 million investment in new school building projects recently announced as part of the Government's "Investing in Infrastructure & Jobs" Package. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. A stage 2(b) submission from the design team was recently received...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Two new post-primary schools are planned for Stepaside. The first is a Gaelcholáiste to serve the general Ballinteer and Stepaside area. This will commence operation in 2014 under the patronage of An Foras Pátrúnachta na Scoileanna Lán Ghaeilge. The second is an English medium post-primary school which is due to open in 2016. The application process for patronage of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Oireachtas enacted the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act in 2012. Section 42 of this Act, which sets out provisions relating to the charitable status of contributions by congregations, was commenced in March 2013. Section 42 empowers the Commissioners for Charitable Donations and Bequests for Ireland to authorise property transfers and sales related to the making of...