Results 17,681-17,700 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I published the General Scheme of a Technological Universities Bill in January this year. The Scheme is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection. I expect to receive their report by the end of April, at which time the Scheme will go to the Office of the Attorney General for legal drafting. It is my intention that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Equality Issues (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Government did not oppose the Private Members Down Syndrome (Equality of Access) Bill 2013, at second stage. This Bill has been referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection, where it can be considered in the context of forthcoming proposals to establish a new model for the allocation of resource teaching supports in mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67, 68, 70 and 71 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department allocates significant resources to ensure that pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with Down syndrome, can participate fully in education. Pupils with Down syndrome may receive additional teaching support in schools, either from a school's general allocation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (27 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: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications for the 2014/15 academic year is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department 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 30 September 2013. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has been authorised to commence the award process with the recommended bidder. Following completion of this process, and provided there are no issues arising, the start on site date will then be agreed with the successful contractor.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed that the student referred to by the Deputy has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal was received by the Board on 31st January 2014 and was heard by the Board on the 25th March 2014. The student will be notified directly of the outcome of the appeal in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Since 1998, the national ICT in Schools programme has focused on building capacity across the schools system for integrating ICT into teaching and learning and developing pupils' digital literacy, The ICT in Schools programme must now address new policy challenges and opportunities arising from major developments in curricular reform, digital publishing, digital content dissemination tools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The data requested by the Deputy in respect of the 2013/14 academic year on a county basis will be made available to the Department by SUSI after the end of the current academic year. The total number of students awaiting a decision on their application as of 23rd March was 89. There were a further 787 applications where documentation requested from the student was still outstanding.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 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: School Enrolments (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under Budget 2011, the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of student grant increased from 24kms to 45kms. The proposal to amend the distance to qualify for the higher non-adjacent rate to 45km took into account a reasonable radius in which students could be expected to commute on a daily basis. The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Visiting Teacher Service for children with Visual and Hearing Impairment provides assistance for children who are deaf or hard of hearing and children who are blind or visually impaired. In May 2013 the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) brought forward policy advice which recommended that the service should be reviewed. Accordingly, an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (1 Apr 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 and I am aware of the difficulties faced by schools in relation to these schemes. Their efforts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with the awarding authority, Cork County Council, that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded 50% registration fees for the academic year 2013/14. The student was not awarded a grant towards maintenance as the income was over the income threshold. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government gave approval last week for drafting the Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill 2014. This new legislation aims to ensure that the enrolment process in all primary and post-primary schools is inclusive, transparent and fair. The General Scheme has since been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel by the Government with a request to commence drafting as soon as...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Eligibility (1 Apr 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 and Mechanical. A second round of the scheme is expected to be announced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency (EWS) is the statutory agency which can assist parents who are experiencing difficulty in securing a school place for their child. The EWS may be able to offer assistance and advice on securing a school placement within the pupil's area. The contact details for the EWS is Educational Welfare Service of the Child and Family Agency,...