Results 17,641-17,660 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to firstly advise the Deputy that, in accordance with the duty of the State to provide for education as set out in the Constitution, all pupils with special educational needs have access to educational services and facilities in order to ensure that they can be provided with education. I wish to explain also that my Department's policy is to secure the maximum possible level of...

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

Ruairi Quinn: A significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. In light of the very difficult economic situation and the significant costs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Quality and Qualifications Ireland Administration (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 384 and 387 together. As the Deputy will be aware, QQI has, in accordance with Section 80 of the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Act, 2012, determined a number of fees which will apply to all providers seeking to engage with it, including those in the community and voluntary sector. The fees were determined in accordance with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (25 Mar 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: School Staffing (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website.Under these arrangements an ex-quota Deputy Principal Post is allocated to each post primary school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (25 Mar 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: Schools Data (25 Mar 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. The information includes the number of teachers and pupils in each primary school and is for school year 2012/2013. Data for the current school year (2013/2014) is being finalised at present and results will be published on the website...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Value for Money Reviews (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection of small primary school provision for a value for money review needs to be considered in the context of our overall primary school provision. Ireland has over 3,000 primary schools. This is a high proportion of schools relative to our population. About one fifth of them are small schools with under 50 pupils enrolled. This constitutes a substantial, distinct group of schools on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Schemes the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing their first undergraduate full-time course of study. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 393 and 399 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 and I am aware of the difficulties faced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Programme for Government Implementation (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The timeline for delivery of the Programme for Government commitments is over the lifetime of this Government. To date, the Government has published three annual progress reports, the most recent of which was published earlier this month and which sets out the progress over the last 12 months of an extensive number of commitments (relevant extracts attached). With regard to the commitments...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (25 Mar 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: School Accommodation (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, a new co-educational multi-denominational post primary school was established and commenced operation in the area in question in September, 2013 to cater for demographic growth. The school has a current enrolment of 163 pupils and accommodation has been provided to cater for up to 450 pupils. It is anticipated that the school will grow to 1,000 pupils on an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (25 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Education and Skills is currently carrying out a review of Gaeltacht Education with a view to identifying options for Irish medium education in Gaeltacht areas and to clarifying the Department of Education and Skills' policy with regard to such provision in Gaeltacht schools. Issues such as the language of the textbooks and teaching resources used in Gaeltacht schools and...

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

Ruairi Quinn: As part of its work on the development of a new language curriculum at primary level, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has been asked to provide advice on provision for partial immersion or Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL). Arising from this, the NCCA together with the Professional Development Service for Teachers is carrying out a project in a sample of...

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

Ruairi Quinn: July Provision is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides July Provision for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based provision is not feasible, home based provision may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (26 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that, on 20th March last, I announced that 386 schools have been approved funding under the Summer Works scheme to undertake school improvements. This first round of funding will allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works across three categories of projects - Gas, Electrical & Mechanical. A total of 52 primary and 23 post primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (26 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Apart from the recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised primary or post-primary schools are not permitted to charge school fees. Voluntary contributions by parents are however permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay. The manner in which contributions are sought and collected is a matter for each school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (26 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is providing funding for the St. Patrick's College Campus Development project. A complaint has been made to my officials in relation to engagement with Unions on the site and St. Patrick's College has written to the contractor concerned in that respect. I also understand from the company referred to by the Deputy that the main contractor on site has appointed the Regional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (26 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 and 57 together. My Department's Planning and Building selects the projects to be audited by the company referred to by the Deputy both on a random basis and following receipt of complaints via my Department's on-line complaint system. As a result of the audits carried out to date five projects have been referred to Revenue Commissioners, one to the...