Results 2,161-2,180 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — School Libraries: School Libraries (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Funding is currently allocated to all schools hosting the Demonstration Library Project. However it should be noted that the librarians in these schools, like other public servants in the Education Sector, other than teachers and SNAs, are subject to the public sector recruitment moratorium. Exemptions from the moratorium are, in the context of the public finances, a matter for serious...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy may be aware, the recognition of teacher qualifications is now a matter for the Teaching Council, the body with responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards in the teaching profession. My officials have made enquiries with the Teaching Council regarding this case and are advised as follows: The Teaching Council is aware that Qualified Teacher Status awarded in the...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and it is the board of management, not the patron, which is the employer of school staff including teaching staff. Provision is made for the inclusion of religious education on the curriculum for primary schools. Thirty minutes of the standard school day of five...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving a submission from the school in question. As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resources to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I refer the Deputy to my predecessor's response to his parliamentary question of 9th February, 2010 (Reference number 6827/10) in direct connection with this matter. As was explained on this occasion, my Department's National Educational Psychological Service encourages a staged assessment process, whereby each school takes responsibility for initial assessment, educational planning and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The enrolment of a child in a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment in schools. The National Council for Special Education, through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs), co-ordinates special needs education provision at...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I must advise you that the selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. 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. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I welcome the opportunity to support the motion of confidence in the Taoiseach and the Government. Needless to say, it is disappointing that we have to dedicate Seanad time to have an unnecessary confidence debate on a day when we should, in fact, be debating the Regling-Watson and Honohan reports, the findings of the Saville inquiry or getting on with the work of placing Ireland on a path...

Seanad: Confidence in the Taoiseach: Motion (16 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: In the past two years, as Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, I also introduced stimulus measures to protect jobs in the short term. The employment subsidy scheme, supporting 80,000 jobs, and the enterprise stabilisation fund which directly supported 7,500 jobs last year alone were important measures in retaining employment in vulnerable enterprises through the crises. The...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: To ensure individuals continue to utilise the skills gained from training, education or previous employment the Government introduced the Work Placement Programme. Under this programme individuals can gain valuable work experience for periods of up to nine months, thereby ensuring that they use the skills they have developed and they maintain close links with the labour market. The Work...

Written Answers — EU Funding: EU Funding (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Government is considering the potential of all relevant EU funding programmes, including the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF), to assist workers affected by the Quinn Group redundancies. Strict criteria apply to the making of application for co-financing assistance under the EGF Regulation. These include the requirement that at least 500 redundancies in a single enterprise...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills I do not have a role in the administration of individual cases. The administration of individual cases is a day-to-day matter for FÁS as part of its responsibility under the Labour Services Act 1987.

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills I do not have a role in the administration of individual cases. The administration of individual cases is a day-to-day matter for FÁS as part of its responsibility under the Labour Services Act 1987.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The project to which the Deputy refers was tendered recently. However an issue has arisen with regard to the soil at this school and following consultations with the Local Authority, it was agreed that an Interpretative Report on the soil classification should be completed. It is anticipated that the project will progress to construction towards the end of 2010.

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy is aware, the recognition of teacher qualifications in this State is now a matter for the Teaching Council, the body with statutory responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards in the teaching profession. The Teaching Council is also the designated competent authority for the recognition and assessment of qualifications and registration of teachers at Primary and...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy may be aware, the recognition of teacher qualifications is now a matter for the Teaching Council, the body with responsibility for establishing and maintaining standards in the teaching profession. The position in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy is that any person who was on a career break prior to, or at the time of, establishment of the Teaching Council was...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the project to which he refers was included in the most recent bundle of eleven school projects advertised on the Government's etenders web-site for the appointment of design teams. The pre-qualification stage of this process, which is carried out by my Department on behalf of the schools, is almost complete. Representatives from the Board of Management...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will be aware of the Government's commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network and a school placement is available for the child in question. Such placements facilitate access to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The information in relation to the number of Special Needs Assistants is produced at specified time intervals by my Department. The next specified time interval is 30th June. I will arrange for officials in my Department to forward the requested details to the Deputy once the information is available after that date. As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2.4 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for...