Results 17,041-17,060 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: Responsibility for the delivery of the school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the Office of Public Works (OPW). I understand that following a recent tender competition the OPW has issued a "Letter of Intent" to the apparently successful tenderer.

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

Ruairi Quinn: Social, personal and health education (SPHE) already provides particular opportunities in the primary sector to foster the personal development of children and help them become active and responsible citizens. From infant classes right up through to sixth class the theme of developing citizenship is examined. Areas such as "My School Community", "Living in the local community" and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's 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. Staffing arrangements at primary level for the 2014/15 school year are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that all schools have a permanent allocation of Learning Support resources which they can use to provide additional teaching support to assist pupils who have learning support needs in schools, including pupils who have learning support needs arising from a medical condition. There is not a prescriptive list of medical conditions for which this support can be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Guidance Counsellors (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186, 189 and 190 together. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to meet the requirements in relation to guidance and the provision of an appropriate range of subjects to students. This operates at local school level. The representative organisations for School Principals and school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Welfare Service Provision (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 187 and 188 together. By way of context I can inform the Deputy that my Department adopts a holistic and integrated approach to supporting the work of schools in promoting positive mental health. This issue spans the curriculum in schools, whole-school ethos, quality of teaching, learning and assessment, student support and pastoral care and the provision of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Personal Insolvency Act (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that there was contact between my Department and the Department of Justice and Equality in the context of the personal insolvency legislation. I understand that for the purposes of establishing a reasonable standard of living and reasonable living expenses, Insolvency Service Ireland (ISI) prepared and issued guidelines. In the guidelines, the costs attributed to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The eligibility requirements for the JobBridge Scheme requires an applicant to be in receipt of live claims, such as Jobseekers Allowance, Jobseekers Benefit, One Parent Family Payment and Disability Allowance. As these payments are already included in the list of eligible payments for the special rate of grant under my Department's Student Grant Scheme I am not at present considering...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (11 Feb 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: Departmental Programmes (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are no funding programmes available from my Department designed to directly assist projects involved in youth diversion and rehabilitation and therefore no application process for such support. In addition to funding overall mainstream provision for education my Department also provides funding of some €4million across a number of projects and centres to provide for continuum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers advised my Department recently that it had carried out repair works to prefabs caused by weather damage. The school also advised that the prefabs are now safe to use. The major building project for the school is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2b Detailed Design, which includes planning and other statutory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the school he refers to was invited to participate in the Prefab Replacement Scheme II and I understand that the school authorities accepted this offer. This project involving the construction of a significant level of permanent accommodation represents Phase 1 of development works at the school. More recently, the school authorities applied to my Department for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school, to which the Deputy refers, has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding to provide for an extension and refurbishment 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, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded a postgraduate fee contribution of €2,000 and is ineligible to have her fees paid up to the maximum fee limit. Under the terms of the Student Grant Scheme 2013 postgraduate students who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Court of Human Rights Rulings (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: With the assistance of the Attorney General, I have sought further legal advice on the implications of the European Court of Human Rights judgment for outstanding school child abuse cases. The State Claims Agency has informed my Department that there are 45 current day school abuse claims on hands. I have asked my Department, with the Attorney General's Office and the State Claims Agency,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Reform (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: On January the 17th the National Working Group on Junior Cycle Reform met to discuss the implementation of Junior Cycle reform. There was a meeting of the sub-group on resources on the 24th of January and further meetings of the sub-groups on assessment and also CPD were held on Thursday the 30th January. Findings from the sub-groups were reported back to the National Working Group on 7th...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Feb 2014)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is in receipt of an application for additional accommodation from the school to which the Deputy refers. This application is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authorities when this process has been finalised. The Deputy will appreciate that it is not possible to visit all schools who submit applications for additional accommodation to my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 203 and 204 together. The research to which the Deputy refers is the Inclusive Research in Irish Schools Project (Project IRIS). This National Council for Special Education (NCSE) commissioned research is a longitudinal study initially over 3 years examining the provision of special education within schools. The aim of the project is to look at the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts Data (11 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.