Results 17,001-17,020 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I made the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 (Commencement) Order 2014 (S.I. No 20 of 2014) on 28th January. This Order commenced sections 21 and 22 of the 2012 Act which provide for the appointment of an appeals officer and for the appeals process in relation to decisions of a decision maker of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board. On the same day I made the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As recently announced, I have appointed Mrs Frances Harrington to fill the vacancy on the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board following the resignation of Mr Paddy Doyle. Mrs Harrington's appointment is effective from 29th January until the expiry of the Board's four year term which commenced on 25 March 2013. At the same time, I announced my nomination of Mr David J O Callaghan...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Section 27 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides that the Freedom of Information Act 1997 applies to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board. From enquiries made by my officials to the Board, I understand that the Board has approved its FOI policy in compliance with the provisions of the FOI Acts. A member of the Board's staff has been appointed to deal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse Issues (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 239 together. The submissions to the European Court of Human Rights were made in consultation with the Office of the Attorney General and followed on from the decisions taken by the High Court and Supreme Court in this matter. I have every confidence in the capacity of the senior management team in my Department to continue to deliver on a very...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Statistics (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department will be notifying schools in due course of the data requirements that they must submit in respect of the 2014/15 school year. I should clarify for the Deputy that to the extent that the Department has sought teacher timetable data from second level schools in recent years, it has been for the sole purpose of providing information to assist the Department's Inspectorate conduct...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: When the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools and these posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. Limited alleviation was introduced for schools that are acutely affected by the impact of the moratorium at Assistant Principal level. The alleviation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Internship Scheme Data (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Caranua is the service name used by the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund, which is an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. From enquiries made by my officials to Caranua I understand that it has not provided any internships under the JobBridge initiative.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy has clarified that she is referring to private pre-schools which are attended by children using their home tuition grant. The Home Tuition Scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for specified reasons, are unable to attend school or for whom a school placement is not available. It is generally the case that home...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The SUSI application system facilitates students in applying for a grant before they have accepted a place in college or know the institution and course they will actually be attending. Therefore, it is not possible to give a specific indication at application stage as to course approval. A similar position pertains in relation to applying for a place on a course via the CAO system. As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology Issues (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Education and Skills has not developed any Apps for smart phones or other multimedia devices in the past three years. With regard to bodies under the aegis of my Department the information sought is a matter for each agency and is not collated centrally. For the Deputy's information details of agencies under the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A table detailing the number of rented prefabs in Waterford for the years 2010 - 2013 is attached for the Deputy's attention. Please note that one prefab unit may consist of one or more classrooms and/or ancillary accommodation. Under my Department's Prefab Replacement Initiatives 2012 and 2013, approval was given to 216 schools nationally to replace 573 prefab units with permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: An official of my Department met with representatives of the school's Board of Management on Friday last to discuss the boundary issue. My Department will revert to the school directly with any further discussions which may be necessary regarding the site design, footpaths and parking lines, etc which arise from the required boundary realignment.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In June 2011, I announced that some 40 new schools are to be established in the coming years across a number of locations to meet significantly increasing demographics in those areas. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish a new school in the area referred to by the Deputy. The Forward Planning Section of my Department will continue to analyse demographic trends to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Weight of Schoolbags (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department issued circulars to all primary and post-primary schools in 2005 to highlight the potential health hazard of overweight schoolbags and to outline a range of local measures that could be put in place to help alleviate the problem. The circulars referred to the recommendations of the previously published report of the Working Group on the Weight of School Bags. This report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the context of the necessary but difficult expenditure reduction measures announced in Budget 2012, new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (4 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is currently engaging with the organisation referred to by the Deputy in the context of a request for improved accommodation at a school. During this engagement, the organisation raised the matter of acquiring a parcel of land adjacent to the school. My Department advised that the main focus of its capital budget for the coming years is the delivery of the projects outlined in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Places (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is an operational matter for SOLAS. SOLAS have been requested to provide the information directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is in ongoing communication with the Patron of the school in question in relation to its start-up accommodation for September 2014. This is the appropriate channel of communication. It is a matter for the Patron to keep the Board of Management informed. Negotiations are ongoing in relation to accommodation for the school and these are at a sensitive stage. However, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers recently submitted an application for funding for additional accommodation. The application will be assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authorities when this process has been finalised.