Results 16,701-16,720 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: For the Deputies information under the Public Service Reform plan the following were identified for rationalisation or merger and since March 2011 the following actions have taken place. The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences were merged in March 2012 to form the Irish Research Council (IRC). The IRC...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Remuneration (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Professional added years are awarded to certain employees in universities and institutes of technology strictly in accordance with the rules of the relevant pension scheme. I am not aware of any top-up payments being paid to academics in universities and institutes of technology and it is the position of my Department that no such top-up payments should be awarded. In this regard it should...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The project to which the Deputy refers was authorised to proceed to tender in late 2013. It is anticipated that the tender process will be completed and a contractor appointed in the second quarter of 2014.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A new school is proposed to meet the long term accommodation needs of the school in question. A site has been acquired for this purpose and a tendering process for the appointment of a project design team has commenced. The 5 Year Plan, announced in March 2012, prioritises new school building projects as well as major extensions in areas where a demographic need has been established. School...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based provision is not feasible, home based...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Details regarding payments from my Department for the past three years, to bodies that have been granted charitable tax exemption under Section 207 of the Taxes Consolidation Act, 1997, are set out in the attached table. Excluded from this list are payments made to schools, teacher education bodies or bodies representing groups of educational institutions. Cases where the amount of payment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing Appeals Mechanism (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2013/2014 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0013/2013) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS. Apprenticeship is the recognised means by which persons are trained to become craftspeople in Ireland. The main craft trades have been designated by SOLAS and come within the scope of the Statutory Apprenticeship system. To register as an apprentice the entry requirements are as follows:1. The prospective apprentice must obtain employment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language Issues (16 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's Irish Language Scheme 2013-2016 contains a range of commitments with regard to the provision of an acceptable level of service through Irish. A survey of my Department's administrative staff conducted in 2013 indicated that approximately 10% of staff have proficiency in Irish. 1.5% of administrative staff indicated a high level of proficiency in Irish while 8.7% of staff...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for tabling this question. Under budget 2012, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in primary schools that have 86 or fewer pupils. The Department's published statistics show that there were 1,532 schools, or 48% of all primary schools, with fewer than five mainstream teachers. Such schools would have...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Both my predecessor and I had to take into account the rapidly changing nature of the budgetary position on the one hand and the fact that the overall primary school population was growing and is continuing to grow. The measures that I introduced were balanced against that particular background and the proof of the pudding is in the eating. The pupil-teacher ratio in those schools is much...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I came into office at the time of great difficulty because of the financial circumstances in which this country finds itself and against a background of a growing student population. I had to try to balance the concept of fairness and equity across the system. That I took the measure consciously in 2012, and gave notice of it for three years, of which this will be the last, was a signal to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: No, I am referring to the threshold of 60, which has not been touched.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his question. The previous Government capped the number of SNA posts at 10,575 in December 2010, with that cap remaining in place until December 2013. The number of pupils in our schools has continued to increase since. In December 2013, this Government agreed to increase the cap on SNAs by 390, increasing by 170 posts to 10,745 at the end of 2013, and by a further...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This particular question does not necessarily deal with that issue. However, I am aware that there is a question on today's Order Paper on the matter of isolation rooms, if we get to it. All I can say is that the SNA posts are allocated by the NCSE only where there is a valid application submitted by a school in respect of a child with qualifying needs and where the needs of the child...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy's original question was about the number of SNAs. He has raised a new issue that is related on which I do not have a briefing note. I will make inquiries and revert to the Deputy on it.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Book Rental Scheme (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: First, let me clarify that the Department will continue to provide a book grant as usual for all primary schools. This grant can be utilised for the purpose of updating or expanding a school's existing book rental scheme. I commend all schools that have used the grant to help to build book rental schemes during the years. Their efforts mean that the high cost of school books is being...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Book Rental Scheme (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand the point of view the Deputy has articulated. I do not disagree with the perception of unfairness for some schools which had the wherewithal, the leadership, the passion or the commitment of parents who had the resources to dig deep into their own pockets to provide for a book rental scheme. My response was to do something every Deputy who had been in the education portfolio in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Book Rental Scheme (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Yes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Book Rental Scheme (21 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a start.