Results 15,481-15,500 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a number of the recommendations contained in the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) policy advice on the Education of Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Ireland report, in relation to early intervention and school age years education have been implemented, or are currently in the process of being implemented. This includes recommendations in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: All schools included in Phase II of my Department's Prefab Replacement Initiative including the school referred to by the Deputy, will be informed of decisions reached in relation to their building projects shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Rankings (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2013 QS Rankings, Ireland again sees two of its eight top institutions featuring in the top 200, or top 1% out of some 15000 universities worldwide. All seven universities and Dublin Institute of Technology feature in the top 600 worldwide. Both Trinity College Dublin and National University of Ireland, Galway have improved their performance on last year's results. They are to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the property to which he refers has been leased to the City of Dublin Education and Training Board. I understand that the ETB is working closely with the club to which he refers in relation to finalising a user agreement for the ongoing use of part of the property. I understand that, as yet, no lease has been agreed with St. Michael's House in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Registration (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Teaching Council is the body with statutory responsibility under the Teaching Council Acts 2001 to 2012 for the registration of teachers. It is obliged to apply its regulations for the registration of teachers in a consistent and fair manner. The Council's actions when dealing with registration and renewal of registration are determined entirely by its founding legislation, the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I am informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that in preparation for the 2013/2014 Academic year the application assessment process was further developed to enhance effectiveness and efficiency and respond to experiences from year 1. In addition, a number of new initiatives have been implemented as recommended by the independent review by Accenture. The initiatives include...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The delivery of a new Education Campus at Carrigaline has been devolved to Cork Education & Training Board. The Campus will consist of a 24 classroom Gaelscoil, a 500 pupil Gaelcholaiste and a 7 classroom Sonas Special School. The site for the proposed Campus is 8.5 hectares (21.1 acres) and the Department is of the view that the site is sufficient to cater for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved funding to the primary schools to which he refers under the Prefab Replacement Scheme in 2012. The school authorities subsequently submitted an alternative proposal that included consolidating accommodation on to a single site. My officials met with both schools to discuss their proposal and are continuing to liaise with the school...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2013/14 academic year as specified under the 2013 student grant scheme is as follows: 1. Student must qualify for the standard rate of grant; 2. Total reckonable income net of income disregards and Child Dependant Increase must not exceed €22,703; 3. As at 31st December, 2012, the reckonable income must...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. In view of this I have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. In view of this I have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Substitution Scheme (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The supervision scheme provides for a payment in respect of supervision/substitution duties carried out by teachers and by personnel employed solely as supervisors by Boards of Management. The annual cost in 2012 (excluding employers PRSI) was: Primary €57.0 m Post Primary (excluding schools under the ETB's) €31.6m

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postgraduate Course Fees (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and the criteria governing the level of tuition fees to be charged in relation to postgraduate study is determined by the institutions and accordingly I have no role in relation to the matter. Under my Department's student grant scheme, those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant are eligible to have their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy would be aware that affordability is just one of the factors that impact on students continued participation in higher education. There are a range of wider factors that also impact on participation, including social and cultural issues, prior academic attainment and teacher and parental expectations. In access terms, the requirement to pay a fee is considered to be a...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Information supplied to my Department by the grant awarding authorities in the 2012/13 annual statistical return indicates that there were some 3,800 postgraduate students in receipt of a student grant at a cost of some €14.5 million in the 2012/13 academic year. These figures include new and renewal postgraduate students and have been supplied to my Department by the grant...

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

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, a new set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely,...

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

Ruairi Quinn: In February 2012, the school referred to by the Deputy was allocated devolved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme for the provision of three new mainstream classrooms to cater for expected growth in pupil numbers and one new mainstream classroom to replace an existing prefab classroom. The School Authority has proposed delivering these four classrooms in two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools. The phasing of these measures can provide the schools concerned with time to consider the potential for amalgamation with other schools where this is feasible. I made clear at the time that if amalgamations take place...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that pupils with Down Syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational psychological assessment places the pupil in the mild general learning disability/high incidence disability category, or through an...