Results 1,961-1,980 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (24 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The FÁS training allowance paid to those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance is generally aligned to the amount of the persons Jobseekers Allowance payment as determined by the Department of Social Protection which is subject to means testing. The FÁS training allowance is paid to participants in lieu of Jobseekers Allowance for the duration of the training course. The majority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (24 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The annual charges for children who avail of school transport services are as follows:- Primary children: €100 Post primary children: €350. The maximum family contribution for families with primary children only is €220 and the overall family maximum is €650 per annum. The appropriate charges may be paid in two instalments in July and December. Children who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (24 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The college referred to by the Deputy is a private college which is not funded by my Department. Private colleges are autonomous bodies and the criteria governing their refund of fees is a matter for their institution and accordingly I have no role in relation to the matter.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The college referred to by the Deputy is an approved Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) centre which is managed and funded by City of Dublin Education and Training Board (CDETB) from funding provided by my Department. Budget 2013 provided for the regression in the pupil teacher ratio for PLC courses from 17:1 to 19:1. Some alleviation of the reduction in teaching posts was allowed as a...

Private Members' Business - Cuts in Education: Motion (Resumed) [Private Members] (25 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank Sinn Féin for tabling this important motion for consideration. It is always good to see education on the political agenda. Education is a subject of immense interest and importance for all of us, whether we are students, parents, educators or legislators. In its programme for Government this Government set out its aim to build a knowledge society, for education to be at the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (25 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Access to the Post Leaving Certificate (PLC), Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) and Youthreach programmes for non EU nationals in the following categories is available under the same conditions as apply to Irish nationals: persons who have refugee status in Ireland - be that convention or programme refugee status; persons in the State as the spouse of an EU national, where the...

Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Second Stage (Resumed) (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: As the Minister for Justice and Equality, Deputy Shatter, is unavoidably detained at another event, he has asked me to stand in for him today. I am more than happy to do so. I thank the Deputies who have contributed so constructively to this debate. This important legislation makes good on the Government's commitment to introduce attachment of earnings for the collection of fines. It...

Fines (Payment and Recovery) Bill 2013: Referral to Select Committee (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Justice, Defence and Equality, pursuant to 82A3(a) and 126(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business and paragraph (8) of the Orders of Reference of Select Committees.

Topical Issue Debate: Teaching Council of Ireland (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am taking this topic on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Quinn. I thank Deputy Mitchell O'Connor for raising the matter. Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act 2001 is due to be commenced on 1 November 2013. It is designed to underpin the Department's policy of a registered and fully qualified graduate teaching profession. It prohibits payment by...

Topical Issue Debate: Teaching Council of Ireland (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The Government's view, which I am sure is shared by the Deputy as a member of the teaching profession, is that all teachers should be appropriately qualified and we must be able to stand over the quality of the teaching delivered in all schools. The commencement of section 30 of the Teaching Council Act will reinforce the Department's long-standing position that education in recognised...

Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Employment (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Deputy Mulherin for raising this matter. Under the National Tourism Development Authority Act 2003, the training and education of workers in the tourism and hospitality industry fall under the remit of Fáilte Ireland, which is responsible for enterprise support, capability building and human resource development for the tourism industry. At the same time, SOLAS and my...

Topical Issue Debate: Tourism Employment (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy is correct in pointing out that the Irish Hotels Federation has recently forwarded a report to my Department on job creation and training within the overall hospitality industry. It sets out the IHF's concerns over training and skills shortages in the hotel sector. It also sets out the key elements of the training needs in the hotel and guesthouse sector. The Minister, Deputy...

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am pleased to outline the Government's position on the situation at St. Michael's House disability services. I begin by recognising the valuable contribution St. Michael's House makes to the provision of services to people with intellectual disabilities. In 2012, St. Michael's House received more than €70 million in funding from the HSE to provide a range of services to...

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The spirit underpinning and woven throughout the Haddington Road agreement is that we will try as best we can to work with fewer resources than we have worked with in the past on the basis that we continue to borrow €1 billion per month to run our country. We still have that deficit and it is piling up month after month upon the shoulders of the next generation.

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: That is only a tiny fraction of the €1 billion per month.

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Only approximately 13% is attributable to bank interest.

Topical Issue Debate: Services for People with Disabilities (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: On that basis, it is incumbent upon all of us to approach the budgetary process in a responsible manner. The Haddington Road agreement suggests that all of us should work in as creative and innovative a fashion as possible to be able to re-engineer the delivery of services such that we do not arrive at the point of requiring to take what the Deputy described as measures of last resort, that...

Topical Issue Debate: Homelessness Strategy (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Unfortunately, the Minister of State with responsibility for housing and planning, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, is not available to take this debate today but has asked me to thank the Members for providing this opportunity to discuss the issue of homelessness and the Government's response to it. Dublin Simon has reported through the national media that 85 people were sleeping rough in Dublin city...

Topical Issue Debate: Homelessness Strategy (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I agree wholeheartedly that the number of rough sleepers is only a symptom, an indication of a far more deeply rooted problem. However, the fact that the number of rough sleepers is slowly but surely reducing gives some hope that the overall issue of homelessness is being addressed in a meaningful way. The fact that last year 880 people moved from homelessness to independent living is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Local Training Initiatives Places (26 Sep 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The FÁS training allowance paid to those in receipt of Jobseekers Allowance is generally aligned to the amount of the persons Jobseekers Allowance payment as determined by the Department of Social Protection which is subject to means testing. The FÁS training allowance is paid to participants in lieu of Jobseekers Allowance for the duration of the training course. The majority of...