Results 3,161-3,180 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has a number of strategies and initiatives in place to ensure that education and training meets the skills requirements of the workplace. SOLAS, with the assistance of relevant experts such as the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), employers and local and national organisations, have published a five year strategy for the further education and training sector which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, I announced details on 17th November last, of the major school building projects that are scheduled to proceed to construction over the next six years, as part of the Government's €2.8 billion capital investment programme. The intention also, is to replace all purchased prefabs with permanent accommodation over the lifetime of the programme. This investment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 to 180, inclusive, together. As the Deputy is aware my Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD), including Asperger's Syndrome, in order to ensure that, wherever a child is enrolled, they will have access to an appropriate education. Children with ASD may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015, which was published in April of this year and is on the Government's legislative programme for enactment in this session, introduces a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. These changes include new powers for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Child and Family Agency to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Programme for Government gave a commitment to more to a more pluralist system of patronage for our schools. This commitment is being progressed on a number of fronts. Firstly, the government established a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The Forum advised on how the education system can provide a sufficiently diverse number and range of primary schools catering for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am very aware of the importance of small schools to rural communities and particularly the most dispersed and remote communities. In this regard, I made two particular improvements to the staffing schedule for small schools this school year. The first measure provides for improved teacher retention thresholds for schools of 1 - 4 teachers. The second measure is an improved teacher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Accommodation (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government fully appreciates the concerns regarding the availability of accommodation for students and the report, Student Accommodation: Demand & Supply, which I published recently sets out clearly that the demand for student accommodation outstrips supply in certain areas and will continue to do so in the coming years. There are 13 useful recommendations in this report some of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that my Department published new anti-bullying procedures for all primary and post primary schools at the beginning of the 2013/14 school year. The procedures are designed to give direction and guidance to school authorities and school personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour amongst its pupils. They include specific requirements in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the 17th November last I announced the details of the new schools to be provided nationwide in 2017 and 2018. I also announced, in view of the anticipated enrolment numbers in the Irish-medium Aonad of Maynooth Community College and the continued support for a Gaelcholáiste in the North Kildare area, that a Gaelcholáiste will be established in 2019, subject to sufficient...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: SUSI has received almost 108,000 student grant applications for the 2015/16 academic year. This figure includes 16,500 applicants which were received after the Priority Processing deadline. 93,000 (86%) of these applications have been processed to completion. Of which 74,500 applications have been awarded a grant and 18,500 have been refused or cancelled. Of the 15,000 pending applications,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As I explained to the Deputy in my response to her previous question of 17 November, under the 2002 Indemnity Agreement the 18 participating congregations are contributing €128m in cash, counselling services and property. The cash contributions of €54.42m under the agreement have been received while information has been provided to my Department that confirms that counselling...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse (9 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In cases where the Department was in possession of relevant information which, if acted upon, could have prevented abuse occurring, the State will admit that it has some liability and will enter into settlement negotiations. The only such cases to date number 13 in total. In each such case, the State has accepted partial liability and accordingly paid a specific proportion of the settlement...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the select committee for the opportunity to discuss my Department’s requirement for a Supplementary Estimate of €175 million for 2015. My Department provided background briefing material to the committee and, therefore, I propose to keep this opening statement brief. The Supplementary Estimate sought will increase my Department’s overall net voted allocation...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is always difficult to estimate exactly what the needs will be. The National Council for Special Education will give an indication early in the year as to what it thinks they will be. As members will understand, as children are enrolled in schools and their needs identified, further applications are made through SENOs. It is difficult to predict in advance, therefore, what moneys will...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information we receive is improving all the time. On a related issue, one of the reasons we were not able to introduce the new model for resource teachers was that we needed to receive more accurate information on children with complex needs. Much of it was coming from the preschool sector and the HSE on what they had identified as being the needs of younger children. We receive a...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The purpose of an SNA is to provide for the care needs of the child in school so that the child can attend school. We are not necessarily looking at an educational outcome but we would measure issues such as improved attendance and improved school retention. In other words, that the children who need that support actually attend school more regularly, stay in school longer and remain on to...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: We can do that in so far as we can measure it but because of the role of SNAs the output is different from the outputs we would measure in other areas of education.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The SNAs are there for the care needs of the children. That is their purpose. We can measure the number of extra children who can be in a mainstream classroom because they have a special needs assistant. The teacher is the educational professional. The children are given the SNA support in order that they can benefit from the professional teaching and have their care needs attended to, so...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are three sets of figures, information relating to which I can give the Deputy afterwards. The number of students in mainstream primary and post-primary accessing SNAs - approximately 12,000 in 2011 and going up to 16,000 - comprises the first set. There is a second set of figures for students in special classes who are accessing SNAs and a third set in respect of those in special...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (8 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: An increase was built in.