Results 2,661-2,680 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — Back to Education Initiative: Back to Education Initiative (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The aim of the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI) is to target adults with less than upper second level education in a range of part-time learning opportunities which lead to certification at Levels 1-6 on the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ). In 2011 there were just over 32,000 BTEI participants, of whom just over 4,100 availed of the 3,000 additional BTEI places provided under...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The centre referred to by the Deputy is a Senior Traveller Training Centre (STTC). In line with the Traveller Education Strategy and the 2008 Value for Money (VFM) Review of Youthreach and STTCs, it was announced in Budget 2011 that an integrated further education provision for Travellers would be implemented through the phasing out of STTCs by June 2012. The full range of Adult and Further...

Schools Building Programme (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I am taking this topical issues debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Ruairí Quinn. I thank the Deputy for raising the issue relating to Clifden community school, County Galway. I welcome the opportunity it affords me to outline to the Dáil the Government's strategy for capital investment in major primary and post-primary education projects in the...

Schools Building Programme (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: To meet the needs of our growing population of school-going children, the Department must establish new schools as well as extending or replacing several existing schools in areas where demographic growth has been identified. The delivery of these new schools, together with extension projects to meet future demand, will be the main focus for the Department's capital budget for the coming...

Schools Building Programme (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy referred to prefab buildings and their replacement. He may recall that recently the Minister, Deputy Quinn, announced funding to the tune of €35 million to begin a prefab building replacement programme throughout the country.

Schools Building Programme (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This was the first time such funding was committed and it will help towards eliminating the significant stock of prefab buildings that grew up during the last Government's tenure.

Schools Building Programme (15 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I undertake to respond to Deputy Ó Cuív directly when I have the detail to hand on the responses sought in terms of the minimum standard of accommodation and other such questions. As Deputy Ó Cuív pointed out earlier, Clifden community school is the only second level school in that area, which has a large geographic footprint. There are some 14 primary schools in the feeder area. The...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Courses: FÁS Training Courses (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I understand that the person in question's current status on the FAS apprenticeship database is recorded as "unemployed" which indicates that he left his employment, and is currently not eligible to participate in the Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme. The Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme provides on-the-job training at Phase 3/5/7 of the apprenticeship programme for redundant...

Written Answers — European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 71 and 72 together. My Department monitors national redundancies on both a company and sectoral basis to ascertain whether a sustainable case for EGF co-financing assistance may be made for affected workers in a number of ways. The primary EGF related redundancy monitoring system used by the Department is the statutory notification procedure under Protection...

Written Answers — European Globalisation Adjustment Fund: European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The Department understands following discussions with the European Commission that the small labour market criterion under Article 2(c) of the EGF Regulations is to be invoked only in particularly narrowly focused circumstances. For example, in cases where redundancies occur in a remote or geographically isolated area like an island or a mountain valley. All seven Irish applications made to...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I assume that the purpose of Senator Barrett's amendment is to address his concern that this Bill will somehow allow or require the authority to interfere in the academic life of universities in terms of how they organise their programmes of education and research and how they quality assure those programmes. The authority's role on quality assurance in previously established universities...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I assure the Senator that I would not support any legislation which would seek to impose added bureaucracy in an area where it is not required. I do not concede that this particular Bill is adding to the bureaucratic load facing third level institutions. In 2003 the institutions collectively acknowledged the importance of having a robust and effective quality assurance process in place...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: On Committee Stage, Senator Barrett proposed an amendment to section 9(1)(b) which currently states that the authority shall "formulate national policy on quality assurance and enhancement in education and training". The effect of that amendment would have been to replace the authority's responsibility for the formulation of policy with a responsibility to guide policy. I indicated we would...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: This is a technical amendment which amends section 59(7) to remove a reference to section 66 which is not required.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: On Committee Stage, Senator Barrett expressed some concern regarding the provisions relating to the appointment of members of the appeals panel. In particular, he stated that the requirement that members of the appeals panel should have "a special interest or expertise in, or knowledge of, the functions of the Authority" was too narrow. The Senator suggested that members should also have...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The Bill provides for an eight-person board, which will include an international representative and also a representative of learners. It has been decided to move away from the stakeholder nomination model which applies to the National Institute of Quality Assurance, NIQA, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, HETAC, and the Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC,...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Report and Final Stages (10 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: The board has eight members, comprising one international expert on quality assurance, the chair, whom one would expect to take a neutral position, and the chief executive officer. This leaves five other representatives. For two of these to be learner representatives would disproportionately skew representation on the board. It is also important to note that once a person or individual is...

Seanad: Leibhéal Foirne Scoileanna (9 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: Tá mé ag tógáil an ghnó seo thar ceann mo chomhghleacaí, an tAire Oideachais agus Scileanna. I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to talk about the staffing appeals process for primary schools. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on 30...

Seanad: Leibhéal Foirne Scoileanna (9 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I do not have the figure to hand but if the Senator wishes to e-mail me, I will endeavour to discover the information.

Seanad: School Transport (9 May 2012)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Senator for raising this matter. 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 113, 000 children, including more than 8,000 with special needs, are transported in approximately 4,000 vehicles every day to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country....