Results 2,841-2,860 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: That will be on Report Stage.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The points that I made on section 10 apply similarly to section 7, so when we come to section 10, I have already covered the response. I understand Deputy O'Brien will propose an amendment rather than just oppose the section.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: We can debate those points on Report Stage. There are no amendments before us right now but it is helpful to know what are the Deputies' concerns.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: No.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Unless this is where this is coming from, it may well be. I have received representations from the trade union but I do not recall seeing that as a particular issue but it may well be and it may well have been raised by them.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Again, we can check and see if there are any specifics available on that. Certain trade unions would have negotiating rights that cannot be in any way modified. We are just putting it in because it is a standard term used in legislation to ensure we are being comprehensive. It is not designed in any way to water down the role of trade unions.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: We try to be consistent in all legislation when using these terminologies. Sometimes that prevents problems arising later and legislation being challenged. It is entirely designed to be comprehensive and in conjunction with standard procedures for legislation in general.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The main purpose of the Bill is to provide for the establishment of technological universities, which is a new type of higher education institution, to be formed through the consolidation and merger of existing institutes of technology. Chapter 3 of Part 2 provides a general mechanism for the merging of consortiums of institutes of technology to form new institutions of greater scale. This...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: There has been an extensive consultation process. I understand the issue. I have received the representations the same as the Deputies from unions representing staff. We will come to all of this later. I am certainly aware of the considerations.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: They have to do with trade unions and staff associations. The Bill, in sections 63, 67, 79 and 83, provides that members of staff of bodies dissolved under the Bill shall automatically become members of staff of the relevant merged institute or technological university. In addition, those sections ensure that transferring members of staff shall retain their existing conditions of...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The intention is that all of those things would be fully taken on board. As I have said, they have been incorporated in other legislation. That is the system that has worked. I will look at the issue of "scheme" versus "schemes" but I do not think it should cause any material problems.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Okay. We will check to ensure the wording is correct.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: We say "recognised trade union or staff association". In most cases there would be recognised trade unions but maybe in a small number of cases they would be described as staff associations. We say that in order to be comprehensive in terms of what is included.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the standard terminology that is used in all legislation. There may not be any relevant ones in this case but it is used in general to ensure that we do not leave anybody out.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: Some professional bodies would have associations rather than unions. There may not be any in this case. I can check it before we come to Report Stage to see if there are any specific associations.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the committee for its pre-legislative scrutiny. Many of the points made at the time have been taken on board in the drafting of the Bill. A number of amendments relate to more general issues rather than to the specific purpose of the Bill and certainly will be considered in the context of other legislation. It is probable that there will not be any other legislation in the lifetime...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria originally announced were that there were various stages that had to be gone through. One of the stages is the merger of the relevant institutes of technology. The stage beyond that is attaining the status of a technological university. It was always very clear in the criteria that the mergers would happen prior to attaining the status of a technological university. As people...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: When institutes of technology were invited to consider this proposal, they would have been fully aware of the criteria. I do not think it is appropriate that we would change the criteria at this stage.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Technological Universities Bill 2015: Committee Stage (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: We will address the issue further when we discuss amendments on issues that are of concern to staff. I do not know how much further the Chairman wants this conversation to continue, as we will come to it later.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (14 Jan 2016)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that commensurate with the level of funding available for the Summer Works Scheme, applications including that from the school referred to by the Deputy will be assessed on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria outlined in the governing Circular Letter for the Scheme. This Circular Letter (0055/2015), is available on my Department's...