Results 2,841-2,860 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The information requested by the Deputy is being researched. I will respond to him substantively as soon as possible.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The information requested by the Deputy is being researched. I will respond to him substantively as soon as possible.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The information requested by the Deputy is being researched. I will respond to him substantively as soon as possible.

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The information requested by the Deputy is being researched. I will respond to him substantively as soon as possible.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: As the Deputy is aware, the School Transport scheme was approved by Government as a topic for inclusion as part of the 2009-2011 round of Value for Money Reviews. This review looked at the original objectives of the scheme, whether these objectives remain valid today, the extent to which the objectives are being achieved, and whether there are possibilities for economies or efficiencies that...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: One of the main objectives of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from school and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. The school transport scheme which is operated by Bus Éireann on my Department's behalf is a very significant national operation involving about 42 million journeys and over 82...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138 and 139 together. The Employment Programmes and Services and Skills Training (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order of 2010, which came into force on 1 May 2010, provided for the reallocation of responsibility for FÁS as an Agency and its funding related to training and skills from the Department of Enterprise, Trade and...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: As part of Budget 2010, the Government announced the creation of a €20 million Labour Market Activation Fund, intended to deliver 3,500 places on training and education programmes for the unemployed. Its objective was to stimulate innovation in the provision of training and activation measures for jobseeker's seeking to up-skill and get back into work. The Fund is being targeted to...

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Mary Coughlan. I thank the Senator for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to outline to the House details of the Department's public private partnership programme for the delivery of primary and post-primary schools as well as the delivery of third level...

Seanad: Third Level Charges. (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this adjournment on behalf of my colleague the Tánaiste and Minister for Education and Skills, Deputy Coughlan. I thank Senator Keaveney for raising this matter and I am sure she will appreciate it would not be appropriate for me to comment on any possible budgetary proposals. The student service charge is levied by the higher education institutions to defray the costs of...

Seanad: Vehicle Tax Code (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this Adjournment matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister the Environment, Heritage and Local Government, Deputy John Gormley. I thank Senator Carroll for raising this matter and hope I can provide the clarification he is seeking. There is no requirement for the owner of a commercial vehicle to have a VAT number to pay road tax. The legal position is that to be taxed as a...

FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: In September to October 2009, the European Commission carried out an European Structural Fund audit mission that included an audit of FÁS expenditure. The final report of this mission was issued in February 2010 and raised two areas of concern for the auditors. The first area where issues arose from this audit was in contract extensions and tendering procedures not being properly followed....

FÁS Training Programmes (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The European Commission instructed that the draft audit report be treated as confidential and it is not intended for publication. The final audit report will be a Commission document and, as such reports are not generally considered public documents, Commission approval must be received before copies can be distributed. However, I am willing to make a statement on the progress of...

Vocational Education Committees (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The Government's decision is to reduce the number of VECs from 33 to 16 in order to deal with issues of scale and having regard to the current and prospective requirements of the education sector. Consideration of such a reduction had begun earlier as part of an examination of options to reduce the overall number of agencies. Subsequently, the special group on public service numbers and...

Vocational Education Committees (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I thank the Deputy for his support in principle for this measure. There is a timeframe of about 18 months to implement this decision. Discussions have taken place with various stakeholders including the Irish Vocational Education Association and the association of CEOs. An implementation group has been established in the Department to oversee this initiative and it is led by an assistant...

Vocational Education Committees (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The work can continue on an administrative basis without legislation.

Vocational Education Committees (9 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: No, ultimately legislation will be needed. The groundwork will be done in the meantime on an administrative basis. The position regarding buildings has to be worked out. It depends on local factors in each of the VECs, what is and is not needed and so forth. I can take the Deputy's view that we should retain educational buildings if there is a need for them but again these details have to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (4 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: Under current apprenticeship rules, all apprentices are required to complete on-the-job assessments with a FÁS approved employer. However, under recognition of prior learning arrangements put in place by FÁS, apprentices not currently meeting the minimum on-the-job training period but with work experience from abroad can submit an application and portfolio of evidence to the FÁS Redundant...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (4 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: I refer the Deputy to the reply given to Parliamentary Question 39507/10 of 28 October 2010. As previously stated on 22nd October 2010 the European Commission announced its approval of an application from Ireland for European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) co-financing assistance in support of redundant workers formerly employed at the S R Technics aircraft maintenance facility at...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (4 Nov 2010)

Seán Haughey: The FÁS Annual Report was received in my Department on 2 November. It will be submitted to Government in the near future and is expected to be published by the end of November.