Results 17,281-17,300 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Supervision and Substitution Scheme (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information obtained from my Department Databases indicate that no substitute teachers were paid as a result of primary teachers being absent on assault leave in 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Supervision and Substitution Scheme (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information obtained from my Department Databases indicate that no substitute teachers were paid as a result of post primary teachers being absent on assault leave in 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Training (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Civil Servants are encouraged to pursue further education during their own time in order to build and develop workplace skills and expertise. In order to foster this in accordance with the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform' circular notice E109/82/97 Government Departments are permitted to meet the cost or to refund fees where the course concerned leads to: a second or third...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 258 and 259 together. The Refund of Fees Scheme is administered on behalf of my Department by the Marino Institute of Education. For 2012 the total funding provided was €496,000 and this amount was allocated to 171 primary teachers and 270 post primary teachers. This relates to study undertaken in the academic year 2011/12. For 2011 the total...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of Circular 045/2013, issued in September 2013, all Boards of Management were required to immediately commence the necessary arrangements for developing and formally adopting an anti-bullying policy. Such policy must comply with the procedures as set out in my Department's Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-Primary Schools and should be completed by each school as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Employment Rights Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The programme for Government contains a commitment that "People of non-faith or minority religious backgrounds and publicly identified LGBT people should not be deterred from training or taking up employment as teachers in the state." In this regard the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) designate has been asked to consider and provide advice in relation to amending Section...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools will shortly be requested by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) to submit their applications to the NCSE for Special Needs Assistant and Resource Teaching support for pupils with special educational needs, for the 2014/15 school year, by 26th March, 2014. The NCSE intend to advise schools of their resource teaching allocations for low incidence special needs for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. The redeployment arrangements are published annually in the staffing circular which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Asbestos Remediation Programme (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In 1999, my Department formally requested the Office of Public Works to undertake a survey of all schools, primary and post-primary, to ascertain the position relating to asbestos and every school authority was issued with a written report of the results of this survey outlining the location of asbestos materials, if any, in their school buildings and the proposed action required. Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware all school buildings that are not covered by state indemnity are required to adequately insure their school premises including insurance for storm damage. Accordingly, any damages caused during the recent bad weather would be a matter for schools' insurers. If works are required to school buildings that are not covered by insurance it is open to the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is currently considering the report of the value for money review of small primary schools. My intention is to publish the report on completion of this consideration process.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a decision was taken by the previous Government as part of the December 2010 budgetary process that Traveller pupils who are eligible for learning support teaching should receive this tuition through the existing learning support provision in schools. The General Allocation Model, which provides additional learning support and resource teaching allocations...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil Data Collection (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Primary Online Database (POD) will replace the current annual census of primary schools, and will involve schools maintaining and returning data on pupils to the Department at individual pupil level on a live web-based system which is currently being developed by a project team in the Department. The database will allow the Department to more closely monitor and evaluate progress and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, I understand that Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) is reviewing his grant application and will be in contact with him shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Budget 2012 provided for the phased withdrawal of approximately 428 posts allocated to some schools under disadvantage programmes prior to the introduction of DEIS in 2005. These posts were in 173 DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 Schools, 163 post primary schools, 16 rural DEIS schools and 17 non DEIS schools. Due to conflicting reports of posts being lost in these schools, my Department produced a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Calculation of reckonable income is set out in Article 22(3) of the Student Grant Scheme 2013. The income considered by a grant awarding authority is income from all sources, whether it arises in the State or not, including: - Income from employment (including benefit in kind and directorships) - Social welfare payments (with certain exclusions - see below) - Payments from other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Evaluations (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Inspectors are enabled to comment on physical infrastructure, facilities and deployment of resources during whole school evaluations. While the primary focus of whole-school evaluation is on the quality of teaching, learning, school leadership and management, where serious shortcomings in relation to school facilities are found these are raised with the school authorities and recommendations...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety Issues (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The results of the 2012 Lifeskills survey, which were published by my Department recently, indicated that approximately 30% of post primary schools have vending machines or school shops which sell fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps. In response to this finding, officials in my Department are currently developing guidance for schools on promoting healthy eating, including through the appropriate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I regret the announcement by the ASTI and TUI of the fact that they are balloting their members on industrial action on the new Junior Cycle Student Award (JCSA). I have considered the concerns expressed by the unions and others in relation to the new JCSA. In that context, I have responded to their concerns in relation to the implementation of the Framework on Junior Cycle. I have slowed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (25 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. All Statutory Approvals have been received and 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...