Results 17,021-17,040 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide an extension/refurbishment and conversion works. In view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision of essential additional school places to meet demographic demand, the Department is not in a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The acquisition of a site for permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy is being progressed by my Department. However, due to the commercially sensitive nature of site acquisitions, I am not in a position to give further details at this time. However, once the acquisition of a site is finalised, a design team for the project will be appointed with a view to its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (5 Feb 2014)

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 the original decision of the awarding authority was upheld on appeal by the SUSI appeals officer. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has not interpreted the scheme correctly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department does not hold information on the numbers of pupils in individual schools who currently occupy prefabs; this depends on the organisation of class groups by schools within available accommodation and may vary from year to year. In general, my Department approves the rental of prefabricated classrooms based on need at the time of application. Local school management then organise...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The data requested is available on my Department's website at the link below under the heading Class Size Information at Individual Primary School Level - .

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Statistics (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 64 to 67, inclusive, together. I will arrange for the information requested by the Deputy to be forwarded directly to him.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68, 69, 70 and 71 together. My Department does not hold information on the numbers of pupils in individual schools who currently occupy prefabs; this depends on the organisation of class groups by schools within available accommodation and may vary from year to year. In general, my Department approves the rental of prefabricated classrooms based on need at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm for the Deputy that while my Department is aware of the Patron's proposals to merge the three schools concerned, I have not received any proposal from the Patron in the matter. The initiative for any amalgamation or re-organisation may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Boards of Management and patron. Any such proposal to amalgamate schools must involve...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (5 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education, 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 the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 57 and 58 together. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are standard redeployment arrangements in operation to deal with the redeployment of any surplus permanent and CID holding teachers. The redeployment of all surplus permanent and CID holding teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. The arrangements at primary level for panel access for fixed term...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Chief Executive of an Education and Training Board (ETB) has discretion in relation to the allocation of teaching posts and for the re-assignment of personnel for specific purposes, on a short-term basis, provided this does not exceed the overall allocation to the ETB. In the case of one ETB, the position of Director of Schools was established by the Chief Executive from within the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the Deputy is seeking information in relation to staff of Galway and Roscommon Education and Training Board (ETB) working in head office. My Department has requested the relevant the information from the ETB. I will arrange for a reply to issue to the Deputy once the information is received and has been collated.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for a replacement school. With the application the school submitted its own proposal and sketch scheme prepared by the schools appointed consultant. This proposal has been technically examined and deemed unfeasible for a number of reasons and this has been advised to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's policy is focused on ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. The policy is to provide for children with special educational needs, including autism, to be included in mainstream schools unless such a placement would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Mock examinations are not part of the State examinations system. The decision to organise and/or charge for mock examinations is made at school level. Mock examinations are not a requirement of my Department. Schools are provided with capitation and school services grants to meet their running costs. DEIS schools receive additional funds for targeted interventions to improve educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In correspondence with the Ombudsman for Children, my Department was encouraged to issue a comprehensive policy document on educating children with autism. This reflected a proposal which my Department made last year to bring together all of the facets of the policy on the education of children with autism into one document which was intended to bring further clarity to my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Recipients of grant funding and other payments from my Department are not mainly indexed by whether the recipients have Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) status. It is not, therefore, possible to provide a fully definitive listing of payments to NGOs over the past five years, without assigning very significant administrative resources to this task. However, the table attached, produced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Religious education is one of the seven curricular areas of the Primary Curriculum and schools are currently required to allocate thirty minutes per day for religious education. There are no plans to alter the amount of time allocated to the teaching of religion in primary schools. However, we must respond to the changes in Irish society and in this context I established the Forum on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (6 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 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 significantly reduced for...