Results 18,181-18,200 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A key goal for my Department is the provision of a quality and inclusive school and early year's education system with improved learning outcomes for all. There are social inclusion elements to the Department's expenditure across the education continuum and these are funded under specific measures to tackle educational disadvantage. These measures include key areas of service delivery at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ireland Strategic Investment Fund Investments (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) was established in 2006 with a major emphasis on promoting inter-institutional collaboration in bringing about substantial change, reform and quality improvement within the higher education system. The SIF was a dedicated and ring-fenced multi-annual fund and it funded projects in the areas of access and lifelong learning, teaching and learning, research,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships Data (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has in place six Public Private Partnerships contracts details of which are set out in the table. Separately my Department has a further three PPP projects that currently are at planning stage namely Schools Bundle 4, Schools Bundle 5 and Grangegorman. Contracts have not yet been executed for these latter projects. The purpose and scope of the existing contracts entails...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is detailed in the table. Data 2010/11 2011/12 2012/13 Total Higher Education Grantholders* 61,456 67,650 70,393 Full-time Students in Higher Education (approved Institutions) 160,972 162,786 164,498 Expenditure on Student Grants Financial Year (2009/10 = 2009)** €361,991,807.83 €355,057,000.00 €336,350,735.99 *Grantholder...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Evaluations (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The School Improvement Group monitors the process of follow-up by schools where significant weaknesses have been identified in the overall quality of teaching and learning; leadership and management; compliance with statutory requirements or regulations or codes of practice; or capacity to implement a programme of improvement. 76 schools have been referred to the group since its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A working group to review the Deed of Trust for Community Schools was established in 2011. The purpose of this review was to consider changes that may be required in the Deed of Trust of Community Schools to reflect legislative and other developments that have occurred since it was first developed. A number of meetings of the group have taken place and good progress has been made in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Teaching Council is piloting a new model of induction and probation for newly qualified teachers (NQTs). This new model is called Droichead and it is a pilot project which will run from 2013 to 2016 and is being independently researched by the ESRI (Economic and Social Research Institute). Training for Professional Support Teams (PST) involved in the Droichead pilot, at school level, is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Work Placement Programmes (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Work Placement Programmes (FAS WPP1 for graduates and WPP2 for non-graduates), along with the JobBridge National Internship Scheme, are operated and managed by the Department of Social Protection. These schemes provide an opportunity for the exchange of expertise and experience between the host organisation and those in a placement/internship. An internship/placement may provide a newly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Inquiries (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I have initiated two inquiries under section 105 of the Vocational Education Act, 1930, since my appointment as Minister for Education and Skills. The Deputy should note that following the commencement of the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013, all of the previous legislation concerning Vocational Education Committees have been repealed, including the VEC Act of 1930. However, section...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 90 to 92, inclusive, together. The Deputy will be aware that the purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children awaiting a suitable educational placement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sports Facilities Provision (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department does not provide funding to fee charging schools in respect of sports complexes. Sports Complexes were established between 1972 and 1974 in the Community & Comprehensive school sector and it was anticipated that they would be operated on a self-financing basis. Currently there are four sports complexes in the Community & Comprehensive school sector that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Courses Applications (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a third-level admissions scheme for students with a disability. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. The Deputy may wish to contact the Irish Universities Association in this instance. Further details in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The approach to teaching and learning in schools is that teachers use differentiation to address different rates of learning and learning skills and abilities in pupils. My Department supports the holistic development of the student and, other than in the case of Irish (which is under review), exempting pupils from a key subject area, such as mathematics, is not recommended in view of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 15 additional classrooms were put in place in the area to which the Deputy refers for the 2013/2014 school year following the completion of two new school buildings for a Gaelscoil and an Educate Together school. Devolved funding has been made available for the provision of a further 5 mainstream classrooms to cater for accommodation needs in the area in 2013 and 2014. The breakdown of this...

Nomination of Member of Government: Motion (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: On behalf of the Labour Party, it is my pleasure to support the nomination of Deputy Charles Flanagan as a member of Government and the appointment of Deputy Fitzgerald as Minister for Justice and Equality. Before doing so, I briefly want to speak about Deputy Shatter’s record as a Member of this House for almost 30 years and as Minister for Justice and Equality and Minister for...

Leaders' Questions (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is asking me questions about the Tánaiste's reaction when he was informed or what he knew at a particular time. In many respects all I can tell him is what I know, although it is not necessarily the full story. The Tánaiste was informed mid-afternoon yesterday that the Minister for Justice and Equality and Defence had tendered his resignation. What we understand is...

Leaders' Questions (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: If the intent of the Deputy's questions is to suggest that the Tánaiste was blindsided in some way by the Taoiseach and that therefore the relationship between the two is less than satisfactory, I have to tell him-----

Leaders' Questions (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: That seemed to me to be the direction in which he was going.

Leaders' Questions (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I know that the Taoiseach and the Tánaiste spoke mid-afternoon yesterday. They were in contact with each other on a number of occasions throughout yesterday and, I suspect, earlier today, but the Deputy is asking me questions to which only the Tánaiste can give him a precise answer. I am telling him what I know, which is not necessarily the whole amount, but I do know that there...

Leaders' Questions (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not know if they did. I know that the-----