Results 16,861-16,880 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I would love to be able to do so. If Deputy Ryan can bend the arm of the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform, Deputy Brendan Howlin, I will certainly do so. The decision to prioritise has been difficult. At least I have been up front in telling those affected. Our biggest necessity is to provide additional capacity in the system to allow for the demographical changes. However,...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of the problem at Swords. We will try to do something. I suggest the Deputy gives Deputy Brendan Howlin a kick.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: To reply frankly to the Deputy, I have no proposals nor will I have proposals to do that. However, I am aware of the need for children who speak Polish at home to be able to access instruction in Polish language and grammar so that they learn to write Polish grammatically. I suggest the Deputy raise this matter with the Cork ETB to ascertain if classroom facilities can be made available....

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of the issue of prefabs in the Lucan area and in one school in particular. We are still trying to solve the situation in that school. In regard to Gaelscoileanna, I am aware that demand is growing, specifically in areas where the population is growing. Divestment by existing patrons might be of some help in this regard, but it is not really a solution because it does not deal...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: We will discuss that issue in detail when we deal with the enrolment legislation. It certainly is an issue of great concern and there are opinions on both sides.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I will not address the more philosophical issues the Chairman raised. Our post-primary school system is at least 150 years old and has resulted in a typical provincial town having three or four schools, all under the patronage of the Catholic Church, with nobody in the town being under any allusion as to the social status of the Ursuline school versus the Presentation school versus the Mercy...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My officials tell me it is under subhead D3, which is on page 58 of the documentation.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Approximately €40 million.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Like all other entities within the system, the Department is under enormous pressure in the context of staff numbers. Mr. Michael Keogh, who is sitting next to me, is the assistant secretary with responsibility not just for matters relating to finance but also for those relating to personnel. Workloads are increasing and people who are retiring are not being replaced. In light of the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are two sides to the story. I was on both sides of the fence growing up. If one is seeking one's qualification or "pilot's licence" in terms of teaching, one must complete so many "flying hours". A similar issue arose with regard to construction apprentices who were made redundant when their employer's went bankrupt. Those individuals were left high and dry. They just wanted to...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (22 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I think I just made them.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, in order to ensure that as many children as possible can be educated with their peers within their own community. My Department therefore provides for a range of placement options and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grants awarding body, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) confirmed on Monday 20th January 2014 that students attending the course referred to by the Deputy are approved for funding. The decision follows a review carried out, as part of on-going audits of student grants, on a valid question which arose over the eligibility of the specified course. On looking into the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts Data (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Information in relation to consultancy expenditure is compiled retrospectively in respect of the previous year. The details in respect of 2013 are currently being compiled and will be provided to the Deputy as soon as they are to hand.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Tionscadail Tógála Scoileanna (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Tá an tionscadal mór tógála don scoil dá dtagraíonn an Teachta ag céim luath den phleanáil ailtireachta, céim 2a. Ar céim 2a a bheith curtha i gcrích go sásúil, agus ar an gcoinníoll nach dtagann aon dálaí eile i gceist, rachaidh an tionscadal ar aghaidh go dtí Céim 2(b) ar a n-áirítear...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 73 and 74 together. The student grants awarding body, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) confirmed on Monday 20th January 2014 that students attending the course referred to by the Deputy are approved for funding. The decision follows a review carried out, as part of on-going audits of student grants, on a valid question which arose over the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers is among a range of schools earmarked for delivery through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process. The PPP process forms a central part of the Government's overall economic stimulus package. This specific school was identified for inclusion in the PPP process in May 2013. Procurement of the bundle of schools to which this school belongs began last...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Quality and Qualifications Ireland Staff (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) has been allocated €7.225m in 2014 to support the performance of its functions. It was allocated €7.416m in 2013, although its outturn for that year was €6.416m. Due to the timeframe involved in the development of QQI's new policies and processes, QQI's level of activity was less than anticipated in 2013, giving rise to the saving...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 85 together. Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded the full non adjacent maintenance grant. She is not eligible for a fee grant as she is studying in a college outside the state. It appears that the original grant award letter was sent in...