Results 16,001-16,020 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Overseas Students Data (23 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: With close on 5,000 Chinese students registered in Irish higher education institutions, China is the second source market for international students coming to Ireland. Figures provided by Enterprise Ireland on the number of Chinese students coming here since 2006 are as follows:- 2006/07 - 3,573; 2009/10 - 3,355; 2010/11 - 5,105; 2011/12 - 4,554. Figures are not available for 2008/09. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (23 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There are a range of foreign languages available on the curriculum in schools - French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic. Mandarin Chinese is not currently on the curriculum. It is not possible in the current budgetary situation to expand the range of languages available in the post primary curriculum. However there is a Chinese module for transition year which has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers submitted an application for additional accommodation to my Department last week. A decision on the application will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (23 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support that the student referred to by the Deputy initially applied in error as an independent mature student. The original application was cancelled at the request of the student and he then reapplied as a dependent student. The second application was received on 15th September and is currently awaiting assessment.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (23 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is continuing to work closely with the relevant Local Authority in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school, and I can advise that options are currently under consideration in that regard. However, given the sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Services Provision (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all recognised primary schools. All contracts under the Schools Broadband Access Programme are regularly reviewed so that schools have access to the best quality connectivity solutions affordable within the available resources. Contracts for these schools were re-tendered last...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In line with the Department's Design Team Procedures, standard template letters developed in conjunction with the Capital Works Management Framework and which are available on the Departments web-site, are generally used by schools and their design teams in providing feedback to unsuccessful tenderers. Details in relation to the lowest tender is supplied to all unsuccessful tenderers on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy a letter issued on 22nd October requesting return of the Final Course Acceptance Form. The application will be reviewed on receipt of the requested documentation and a decision will issue to the applicant.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Contracts (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A reply will issue this week. I regret the delay in replying to the Deputy's correspondence in relation to post-qualification experience for newly qualified teachers. I am aware that there are newly qualified teachers not yet holding teaching positions in schools and I will continue to keep the matter under review. An increase in the level of supervision and substitution hours to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Courses Completion Rates (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I have been informed by the Higher Education Authority that in 2007/08 there were 2376 new entrants to Science Honours Bachelor Degree courses in the 7 Universities. 11% of these new entrants did not progress from 1st year in 2007 to second year in 2008. The data for completion is not yet available but the completion rate for Honours Bachelor Degree science courses in the 7 Universities for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have been informed by Student Universal Support Ireland that all 59,000 applications received by the 5 August closing date have been processed and that 4,000 new applications received following the closing date and up to early September have also been processed. 3,600 new applications received since early September are currently being processed but priority is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development Funding (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, competitive research funding made available from my Department is managed by one body, the Irish Research Council. The Council uses an online grant management system for all its research programmes which provides an efficient and user-friendly service to applicants. This system was first procured by its predecessor, the Irish Research Council for Science...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (24 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In Budget 2014 my Department was required to secure savings of €44 million to meet the ceiling set in the Comprehensive Expenditure Review 2012-14. The Department has been able to identify sufficient expenditure savings to allow me protect frontline education services in 2014, including protecting class sizes. Savings that have recently crystallised, particularly in relation to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (5 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Haddington Road Agreement is being implemented in line with the general approach taken in the public service. Where only one union has members in a sector the Agreement is either applied or not applied to everyone, depending on whether or not a collective agreement is reached with that union. In ETB schools, where TUI is regarded as the representative union, the HRA applies to all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (5 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 and 290 together. Where a teacher in a primary or post primary school is an elected member of a local authority, paid absence of up to ten school days in a school year may be availed of in order to attend meetings, but only where such meetings are held during school opening hours. Substitute cover in such instances is not paid by my Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (5 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 265 to 267, inclusive, together. The Collective Agreement on enhanced redundancy payments agreed between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and the Public Services Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions applies to redundancies in the education sector and my Department has directed third level institutions accordingly. The Collective...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (5 Nov 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: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (5 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy his application has been assessed and he is not eligible for a grant on the basis that the household income is over the limit for the award of a grant. The applicant appealed this decision to the SUSI appeals officer and the original decision was upheld. Where...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Nov 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The 5 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 Deputy will be aware that an extension project at the school to which he refers has been included in the Plan and is scheduled to proceed to construction in 2015/16. I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department is working...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (5 Nov 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...