Results 16,881-16,900 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has recently been informed by South Dublin County Council that the Members of the Council have approved the disposal of a suitable site in the Council's ownership, which will allow for the provision of new school accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers. My officials are working closely with officials from the Council to progress...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2b - Detailed Design. Planning permission and a disability access certificate have been secured for this project. A decision by the local authority regarding the application for a fire certificate is awaited. Once all statutory approvals are secured the design team...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Design Team are working on the completion of stage 2(b) of Architectural Planning. Due to competing demands on the Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (23 Jan 2014)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 83 together. The Deputy will be aware from Budget 2014 that additional funding has been provided which will involve an investment of €15m to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools that do not currently operate them. The Department will provide €5m in seed capital per annum over a three year period to such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The query to which the Deputy refers is being addressed by the Pension Unit of my Department and officials will be in contact with the person to whom the Deputy refers in the coming week.

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

Ruairi Quinn: Illness benefit and Supplementary welfare allowance are not eligible payments for the special rate of grant because they are considered to be short-term payments. Jobseeker's allowance is considered to be a short-term payment unless it is held for 391 consecutive days at the 31st December. Periods of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, Illness Benefit and Maternity Benefit may be...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Illness benefit and Supplementary welfare allowance are not eligible payments for the special rate of grant because they are considered to be short-term payments. Jobseeker's allowance is considered to be a short-term payment unless it is held for 391 consecutive days at the 31st December. Periods of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit, Illness Benefit and Maternity Benefit may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Student Assistance Fund is a component of the Third Level Access Measure which is managed on behalf of my Department by the Higher Education Authority and comprises two sub-priorities: the Student Assistance Fund and the Fund for Students with Disabilities. The overall value of the measure for the 2013/14 academic year is €16.2m. The management of the Third Level Access Measure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (23 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The main criteria of the Free Fees Initiative is that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three of the five years preceding their entry to an approved third level course. Where students do not qualify for free fees they must pay the appropriate fee -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The income thresholds for student grants were reduced by 3% for the 2013/14 academic year. There have been no change in relation to the treatment of self-employed income for student grant purposes under the Student Grant Scheme 2013. For the 2013/14 academic year, the reference period for reckonable income is from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2012. Article 32 of the Student Grant Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 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: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Major Building Project for the schools referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2(a) - Developed Design. On the satisfactory completion of stage 2(a), and subject to no other issues arising, the project will progress to Stage 2(b) which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has recently acquired land which will facilitate the provision of accommodation for the new post primary school, referred to by the Deputy, to open in 2014. As the Deputy will be aware, my Department is working closely with the relevant Local Authority in relation to a campus development which includes the school to which the Deputy has referred. Further land is being acquired...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning, stage 2(a) - Developed Design. On the satisfactory completion of stage 2a, and subject to no other issues arising, the project will progress to Stage 2(b) which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Internship Scheme Data (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can advise the Deputy that my Department has not taken on any JobBridge interns in County Louth. While the Department has a number of small local offices in locations around the country, our staff are largely based in one of our three main locations in Dublin, Athlone and Tullamore.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Investigations (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school. The well-being and safety of children should be at the centre of all policy and practices in schools. Many schools withdraw pupils occasionally from the main classroom for short periods of time in order to manage pupil behaviour or to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for the registration of teachers. The Council's Registration Regulations were published in 2009 and they replaced the protocols for the recognition of teachers in the Further Education Sector which were in use prior to that time. The regulations flagged an increase to the registration requirements which would come into effect on 1...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Visiting Teacher Service for children with Visual and Hearing Impairment provides assistance for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and children who are blind or visually impaired. In May 2013 the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) brought forward policy advice which recommended that the service should be reviewed. Accordingly, an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (28 Jan 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department currently shares information on post-primary students as provided by recognised schools to my Department with the Department of Social Protection for the purpose of verifying student identity as outlined in Departmental circular 47/2010. This is a Fair Processing Notice which explains how my Department processes the personal data of post-primary students in compliance with the...