Results 18,501-18,520 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 47 together. In December 2013, this Government increased the cap on the number of SNA posts by 390 posts to 10,965 at the end of 2014 with over 23,000 children currently accessing SNA services. These extra posts will ensure that the Government's policy of ensuring that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The College to which the Deputy refers is a private college and is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It does not receive core funding, however, my Department provides grant in lieu of tuition fee funding to the College in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. Whilst there is a cap on the number of students to which such free fees funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is planned to deliver Skibbereen Community School as a part of a bundle of four schools (Schools Bundle 4) through this Department's Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. The new school will cater for 900 students and will be constructed on a greenfield site at Gortnaclohy, Skibbereen. Planning permission for the proposed school was secured from Skibbereen Town Council on 12 May...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that, in accordance with Section 32 (2) of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013, the Minister may by order specify a class, description or grade of position of employment in an education and training board (ETB) the members of which are ineligible to be a member of a board, having regard to the desirability of (a) maintaining the distinction between reserved functions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the Department website. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15 school year (Circular 0007/2014) were published on 24 January, 2014. The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The Appeals Board operates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Major School Building Project referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 2a Developed Sketch Design of Architectural Planning. The Mechanical & Electrical Submission for the project is currently under review in my Department. Following this review, subject to no further issues arising, the project will proceed to full Stage 2b Detailed Design which includes planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: With the assistance of the Attorney General, I have sought further legal advice on the implications of the European Court of Human Rights judgment for outstanding school child abuse cases. The State Claims Agency is reviewing its day school abuse cases to identify those that come within the parameters of the judgement. Following the completion of this review and receipt of the legal advice...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The provision of a new building for the school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to Louth County Council under a Service Level Agreement. A suitable site has been identified and negotiations are ongoing. Once the site acquisition is completed, and a Design Team appointed which I understand is currently underway, the project will progress to architectural design and planning and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Chief Executive of Galway and Roscommon Education Training Board has informed my Department that he has not made the appointments referred to in the Deputy's question but, rather, he has reassigned duties amongst the existing staff of the ETB.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together. The Chief Executive of an Education and Training Board (ETB) has discretion in relation to the allocation of teaching posts and for the re-assignment of personnel for specific purposes, on a short-term basis, provided this does not exceed the overall allocation to the ETB. In the case of Galway and Roscommon ETB, the position of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Of the legislative provisions in respect of my Department that have been passed by the Oireachtas since 2011, Section 43 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 and Subsections 8(3) and 16(5) of the Student Support Act 2011 have not yet come into effect.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are currently 10 staff employed by Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, comprising: - the Chief Executive Officer at Principal Officer level, - 1 Assistant Principal Officer level Post, - 2 Higher Executive Officer level posts, - 4 Executive Officer level posts and - 2 administrative support posts, one at ETB Grade III the other at Clerical Officer level. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand the programme in question is funded by the relevant Education and Training Board on the basis that the staff appointed by the centre running the programme are properly equipped to deliver all elements of the curriculum. It is a matter for the centre concerned to ensure that this is the case and their staff must be capable of teaching the programme to the standard required to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209, 213 and 242 together. The College to which the Deputies refer is a private college and is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It does not receive core funding; however, my Department provides grant in lieu of tuition fee funding to the College in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. Funding of some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Schemes (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available on a constituency by constituency basis. In Budget 2013 funding of €5million for three years was provided to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools that did not operate such schemes. DEIS schools will receive €150 per child and non-DEIS schools will receive €100 per child in seed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the case of a teacher who is approaching maximum entitlement to paid sick leave under normal rules any period of pregnancy related sick leave may be discounted. In order to confirm that the absence was indeed pregnancy related, employers should seek the advice of Medmark who are the providers of the Occupational Health Service for teachers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Following a review of sick leave arrangements, a new Public Service wide sick leave scheme has been introduced across the Public Service. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013, provided the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with the power to make regulations that set out the specific details of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support. Where children have significant care needs whereby they may need additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The new specifications for all subjects in the new Junior Cycle will state a minimum time for the delivery of the subject. This will be 200 hours for science and other subjects apart from English, Irish and Maths. This is not a maximum or target time and is intended to give schools flexibility to plan a Junior Cycle Programme that will meet the educational needs of their students. Schools...