Results 2,021-2,040 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am pleased to be given the opportunity by the Senator to clarify the position on the provision of teaching support tor children with Down's syndrome. The position is that pupils with Down's syndrome who are attending mainstream primary schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the general allocation model of teaching supports, if the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Special Educational Needs (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am pleased to be given the opportunity by the Senator to clarify the position on the provision of teaching support tor children with Down's syndrome. The position is that pupils with Down's syndrome who are attending mainstream primary schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the general allocation model of teaching supports, if the...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Recognition (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Senator for raising this matter and giving me an opportunity to outline the current position on the recognition status of Mol an Óige national school in Ennistymon, County Clare. The school in question which implements the Steiner approach to education was initially awarded provisional recognition in 2008. This was extended each year until October 2012 when a three year...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Recognition (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department has been very proactive in trying to address the question of the permanent recognition of the school and its door is always open. It is willing to collaborate with the school to achieve that recognition. As the Senator has mentioned and I pointed out in my initial response, there are certain issues relating to the delivery of the curriculum in the school's junior classes. If...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: School Transport Provision (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. I will begin by offering Members an outline of the extent of the school transport service. School transport is a very significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf and covering more than 82 million km annually. In the region of 115,000 children, including more than 8,000 with special needs, are transported in...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: School Transport Provision (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am far from abdicating my responsibility in this area. On the contrary, I am honouring my responsibility to ensure scarce national resources are used in the most efficient way possible. I remind the Senator that these decisions emanated from a value for money report initiated by a former colleague of his who rightly sought a forensic assessment of the costs associated with school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Local Training Initiatives Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: FÁS administer the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) which includes twenty one different regulated programmes. These programmes are mostly intended for trained workers and are provided by private approved training organisations. However, I understand that there are twelve construction plant programmes included in CSCS which also have New Entrant CSCS programmes. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Safe Passes (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am informed that the FÁS Safe Pass registration cards are valid for four years. Applicants must retake the one-day programme to renew their card.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 254 and 256 together. I recognise that further education and training as it is currently delivered covers a broad spectrum that ranges from basic adult literacy and numeracy courses to courses that are certified at level 6 and above on the National Framework of Qualifications. It also spans the generations of learners from adult learners to early school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The child in question is not attending her nearest post primary school and is therefore not eligible for school transport. However, children who are not eligible for school transport under the terms of the scheme may apply to Bus Éireann for transport on a concessionary basis subject to a number of conditions including the availability of spare seats on an existing service and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand that in this case the family in question had been issued with a ticket at the end of August 2012 to avail of school transport on a concessionary basis for the current school year. The Deputy will be aware that changes to the Post Primary School Transport Scheme were introduced at the commencement of the 2012/13 school year. These changes generated an increase in the number...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand that in this case the family in question had been issued with a ticket at the end of August 2012 to avail of school transport on a concessionary basis for the current school year. The Deputy will be aware that changes to the Post Primary School Transport Scheme were introduced at the commencement of the 2012/13 school year. These changes generated an increase in the number of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 268 together. Approval to participate in the Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) programme is granted on an annual basis following an application process. Each application is examined by my Department on its own merits, taking into account current and previous allocations, current and previous demand and uptake and the overall number of places available....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Safe Passes (14 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand that FÁS have an agreement for mutual recognition of the FAS Safe Pass Health and Safety Awareness Training Programme with the CSR Health and Safety Awareness Training Programme in Northern Ireland. Following this agreement the CSR (NI) registration cards are recognised as equivalent to the FÁS Safe Pass registration card. There was also an agreement in place between...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Architectural Heritage (9 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I welcome the support and recommendations from both Senators that we engage in a collaborative approach. A lot can be achieved. Anyone who lives and works in east and south Galway would acknowledge that a lot needs to be done to inform people about its wonderful tourism and heritage. We must avail of the resources and opportunities to market that part of County Galway. A central part of...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Architectural Heritage (9 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am pleased to reply on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, Deputy Leo Varadkar. He is abroad on official business. I will explain the position with regard to the future of Thoor Ballylee after hearing from Senators Higgins and Healy Eames of the significant progress that has been made to date towards reopening W. B. Yeats's former home as a cultural and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Programmes Provision (9 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 87 and 91 together. I recognise that further education as it is currently delivered covers a broad spectrum of education that ranges from basic adult literacy and numeracy courses to courses that are certified at level 6 and above on the National Framework of Qualifications. It also spans the generations of learners from adult learners to early school...

Topical Issue Debate: Higher Education Institutions Issues (8 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank Deputy Pringle for raising this issue. As he will be aware, the tourism college in Killybegs is a school of Letterkenny Institute of Technology, LYIT, which is an autonomous statutory body. The management of the college is the responsibility of the governing body and the president of LYIT. The Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority, HEA, for direct...

Topical Issue Debate: Higher Education Institutions Issues (8 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy may be aware that there is already a significant level of co-operation between a number of institutions in the region. An alliance agreement between Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology, Letterkenny Institute of Technology and the Institute of Technology, Sligo was signed in July 2012. It commits the partners to the development of significant and meaningful collaborations on a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme (7 May 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: This is a day to day operational matter for FÁS who have responsibility for the Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme (RAPS). I understand from FÁS that the individual in question recently declined to take up an offer of a place on this scheme with an employer in Templemore. I understand that he has indicated to FÁS that he would like to secure a placement on the RAPS...