Results 15,021-15,040 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (3 Feb 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted three applications under the Emergency Works Scheme in the past year or so. Two of these were received on 22 December 2014. The first of these sought funding to replace leaking pipes and carry out electrical repairs. This application was approved and the grant has been paid in full. The second application sought funding to replace the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (3 Feb 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that it has been national policy since 2005 to target support for those mature students (defined as those aged 23 or over on 1 January of the year of their entry to higher education) who have not previously benefitted from higher education and who enter college to complete a full time course. Since 2011 the Higher Education Authority has incentivised higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (3 Feb 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of temporary school accommodation. Further details relevant to the application were requested from the school. On receipt of that information the application can be considered further with a decision conveyed to the school authority in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 433 and 501 together. I am not aware of any issues with the tendering process for the new post-primary school campus for Maynooth. The project has been tendered. The Tender Report was recently received and is currently being examined in my Department. Due to commercial sensitivities, I am not in a position to provide details of the tenders. The local...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that my Department is in receipt of an application from the school in question under the Summer Works Scheme. Commensurate with the level of funding available for the Scheme, applications including that from the school concerned, will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department uses a Geographical Information System to identify the areas under increased demographic pressure nationwide. The system uses data from the Central Statistics Office, Ordnance Survey Ireland, the Department of Social Protection and information from the Department's own databases. With this information, my Department carries out nationwide demographic exercises to determine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (22 Mar 2016)

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 needs require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department has acknowledged the condition of the prefabs at the school in question and in that regard a major project to deliver an extension, including the replacement of all temporary accommodation, and refurbishment of the existing school building is included in the 6-year Construction Programme announced in November 2015. The Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application to my Department for capital funding for works including the provision of additional school accommodation. The application is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that an application for additional accommodation by the school referred to by the Deputy has been assessed and I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school was approved funding on a devolved basis. This decision has recently been conveyed to the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Data (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that under my Department's 6 Year Capital Programme 2016 - 2021, major projects at five schools in County Tipperary are included to go to tender/construction during the lifetime of the Programme. In addition, my Department is currently assessing applications for essential classroom accommodation in a number of schools in County Tipperary. A decision on these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Mar 2016)

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. The criteria by which SNA support...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tax Code (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy refers to the change in payment arrangements for Home Tuition. First, I want to clarify that under the Home Tuition Scheme, home tutors have always been engaged by the parents/guardian of the child who is to receive tuition. The change in payment arrangements has not altered this. Home tutors do not have a contractual relationship with the Department of Education and Skills. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The project for the School to which the Deputy refers is one of the research strands in the programme for the introduction of Nearly Zero Energy School Buildings. Nearly Zero-energy means a building that has a very high energy performance. The research and design stages for this school are substantially complete and the tender documentation is currently being finalised.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Site Acquisitions (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy may be aware, the building project for the school to which he refers is included in the 6 year construction programme that I announced last November. Officials from my Department have worked closely with officials from Galway County Council under the Memorandum of Understanding for the acquisition of school sites towards procuring a suitable site for this building project....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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. The criteria by which SNA support is allocated to pupils is set...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board (ETB) has been considering the development of an Aonad at Ballinode College, Sligo. It was noted that there were likely to be capacity issues for a school with a second level enrolment of some 160 pupils in providing adequately for an Aonad, particularly given that the Commission on School Accommodation had recommended that a school should...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has no record of an application for funding from the school to which the Deputy refers to repair its lift. It is open to the school to use funding provided by my Department for its day to day running costs for this purpose. Otherwise, the school may apply to my Department for funding under the Emergency Works Grant Scheme. Details of how to apply for funding under this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for primary schools for the 2016/17 school year are set out in Department Circular 0007/2016 which is available on the Department website. An appeals process is available to small schools losing a classroom post in the event that they can show that their projected enrolments are sufficient to allow them to retain their classroom teacher in the longer term. Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (22 Mar 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Scoil Phobail Community School, Clifden, County Galway, is at an advanced stage of the tender process for the provision of a new school and demolition of the existing building. The supplementary tender report for the project was recently submitted to the Department and is currently being reviewed. When the review is completed the Department will be in contact with the school authorities in...