Results 18,321-18,340 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Labour Court Recommendations (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take questions 73 and 74 together. As the Deputy will be aware, in the context of measures necessary to restore order to the public finances, Government pay policy has been consistent in its approach to the processing of cost-increasing pay claims. Accordingly, non-binding Labour Court Recommendations which will result in a pay increase, such as those referred to by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Data (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Dublin North is an electoral area and the Department does not compile statistical data on an electoral area basis. For school planning purposes, the country is divided into geographic districts known as feeder areas, each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools. If the Deputy wishes to specify a particular area within the Dublin...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Unfair Dismissals (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The company to which the Deputy refers is not the principal contractor on the project at St Patrick's Teacher Training College (St. Pat's), Drumcondra. While my Department funds the project, the contract with the principal contractor is between the authorities of St Pat's and the principal contractor. Since my Department is not a party to the contract it has no relationship with either the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for window replacement under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced details of the schools that will receive Summer Works Scheme funding in 2014 in respect of applications submitted for Categories 1 to 6 i.e. Gas, Electrical, Mechanical, Toilet Facilities and Roof Works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities, in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream national school to assist school authorities in making suitable provision for a pupil or pupils with special care needs arising from a disability. The first priority is that the care needs of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that my Department received an application from the school referred to by the Deputy for funding to facilitate its growth to a second stream i.e. a 16 classroom school. As the Deputy will be aware, the over-riding objective of Education capital expenditure is to meet the demographic challenge facing the education system, whereby total pupil enrolment in both primary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Water Charges Exemptions (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: No consultation with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government has been undertaken to date on this matter. Some discussions have taken place with the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government in relation to the impact of water charges on students who in receipt of student grants, and who are living outside the family home. Those discussions are continuing.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I set up a National Working Group for Junior Cycle last January, as a forum to proactively address identified challenges and opportunities as they arise over the phased implementation time schedule for the Junior Cycle. My officials, through this National Working Group, have engaged in meaningful discussions with the education stakeholders, including the secondary schools teachers unions....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Reform (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Resources are currently targetted at providing Continuing Professional Development (CPD) in advance of implementation. The Junior Cycle for Teachers (JCT) has been established by my Department to provide effective support to schools in the context of their implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. A comprehensive and long-term national programme of CPD for school leaders and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for window replacement under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced details of the schools that will receive Summer Works Scheme funding in 2014 in respect of applications submitted for Categories 1 to 6 i.e. Gas, Electrical, Mechanical, Toilet Facilities and Roof Works...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (14 May 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: State Examinations (14 May 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: Educational Reform (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am considering the report of the value for money review of small primary school provision in consultation with my Government colleagues. My intention is to publish the report on completion of this consideration process. I am not in a position to give a precise publication date at this time.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together. I am aware of the decision by the authorities of the school concerned to advise parents of the availability of a 7th stream of junior infant places. I am also aware that this decision was taken without the approval of the school's Patron and without the prior approval of my Department. The position is that there are currently two...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (14 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that while my Department is aware of the Patron's proposals to merge the schools concerned, the Department has not received any proposal from the Patron in the matter. The Department understands that the Patron has had discussions with the relevant stakeholders in the Dublin 10 area as part of its assessment as to future school accommodation needs in that regard....

Topical Issue Debate: Teacher Recruitment (15 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank Deputy Conway for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position of the redeployment process. At the outset I should clarify that teacher qualifications, including those relating to Irish, are designed to equip teachers to teach in all publicly funded schools. The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools, including redeployment arrangements,...

Topical Issue Debate: Teacher Recruitment (15 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: That is the intention and it is the policy of the Department to be able to provide teachers who are comfortable teaching through the medium of Irish, even at a Gaeltacht school with native Irish speakers. The issue arises with regard to cost constraints imposed on us and the employment control framework. If a school loses a teacher because enrolment numbers drop, the teacher would go to a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (15 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I acknowledge the challenges faced by schools in managing the overall impact of budgetary measures in recent years. However the change must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (15 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There is currently one Gaelscoil in County Sligo. Enrolments in the school are relatively stable. This is reflective of the overall demographic situation in County Sligo where enrolments are expected to remain stable up until 2019 at least. As the Deputy will be aware, the over-riding objective of Education capital expenditure is to meet the demographic challenge facing the education...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (15 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, 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. It is important that school size is monitored and that a balance is preserved among all the schools in catchment areas. My Department is not in a position to develop one school where this may negatively impact on other...