Results 15,941-15,960 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that 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 the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. In September 2012 new arrangements were introduced designed to address the limitations of the previous arrangements.Under the reforms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources being devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) for allocation in the 2013/14 school year. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides service to all primary or post-primary school countrywide and operates an early intervention continuum of assessment for students with the broad range of special educational needs. The continuum of assessment allows for the identification of pupils with special educational needs, their nature and severity by harnessing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Programme (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that since March 2011, my Department has published six bills and has carried out four regulatory impact assessments.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I have been informed by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that in 2012 SUSI processed almost 70,000 grant applications and awarded almost 40,000 grants. Over 23,000 of the students who were awarded grants in 2012 have so far re-applied for renewal of their grants in 2013. 21,652 of these applicants made their application by the closing date of 14th June. Late applications continue to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Grants (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As I advised the Deputy in response to Parliamentary Question 75 on 9th October last, the legal agreement associated with the donation of a site for the school referred to was concluded earlier this year. The donation of the site will enable the school's application for additional accommodation to be considered. This is currently being examined and my Department expects to be in a positon to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Following the Report on the net impact of Budget 2012 on DEIS urban schools, 191 posts are retained in DEIS primary schools at an approximate cost of €11.46 million in order to implement more favourable pupil teacher ratios under previous disadvantage schemes for the 2013/14 school year. As the Deputy may be aware, a range of factors contribute to determining the staffing requirement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (16 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: An official from the Building Unit of my Department was in contact with the school authorities recently and I understand that an application for grant aid under the Emergency Works Scheme for the works required will be submitted. As soon as an application is received it will be assessed and the school will be notified of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In recent years, the impact of the economic downturn has led to a collapse in demand for apprentices from employers, particularly in construction related trades. Significant numbers of apprentices have also been made redundant before completion of their training. While demand for a number of apprenticeship trades is not expected to recover to pre- recession levels, employment opportunities...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Department Circular 49/2013 sets out the position in relation to the Haddington Road Agreement and the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2013 for teachers in post-primary schools and is available at the following address: The Agreement applies to teachers employed in Education and Training Board schools (apart from Designated Community Colleges). In general, the FEMPI...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or, occasionally, on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing Appeals Mechanism (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 86 and 91 together. The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts to schools, which is available on the Department website, includes the provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds, using projected enrolment. The staffing schedule also includes an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As requested by the Deputy I have attached details of school sites purchased over the past five years. I have also included details in relation to funding for site purchases, provided by my Department to the then Vocational Education Committees (now Education and Training Boards). Price information regarding site acquisitions is commercially sensitive and the release of such information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Expenditure (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The estimated cost to the Exchequer for a degree course is €6,500 per student per year. As the Deputy will be aware students who qualify under my Department's free fees schemes are liable to pay the Student Contribution which currently stands at €2,500. The Contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect of students who qualify under my Department's Student Grant Scheme (some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 89 and 95 together. The child referred to by the Deputies is currently enrolled in a special school and from the details supplied is due to transition at the end of the current school year. The Deputies will be aware that one of the functions of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that in primary schools, additional teaching supports for pupils with special education needs are provided though two channels. Under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, schools are resourced to cater for pupils whose educational psychological assessment places them in the high incidence, or less complex, disability category. All...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that no applicant is awaiting a decision from SUSI on their grant application for 2012/13. All those who applied for a grant in 2012/13 have at this stage been either awarded, refused or had their applications cancelled, whether at the applicant's request (where not proceeding) or for failure to provide complete or sufficient...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (17 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) is the designated single awarding authority for new student grants in Ireland. SUSI was formally established in early 2012 as a new unit within CDETB and having a staff complement of 65 full time equivalents. This staff complement is variable during the year to match the flows of grant processing work. Staff were assigned to fill these...