Results 3,241-3,260 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Statistics (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: 3,228 students sat the Leaving Certificate Applied in 2012. Information is not currently available on whether these students went on to PLC courses, third level institutes or on to the Live Register.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Issues (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government has made its position clear - given the overall context of the State's ongoing financial difficulties, there can be no re-negotiation of the Haddington Road Agreement. Teaching is a valued and important profession and I am glad that the Agreement has been accepted by three of the four trade unions representing teachers and lecturers in Ireland. I would again ask ASTI to examine...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware I launched "Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes in Schools" on the 28th January last. These Guidelines provide practical advice to primary and post-primary schools on how rental schemes can be established and operated. The aim of the Guidelines is to help as many schools as possible to start such book rental programmes. The publication of these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has established a Working Group to develop a proposal, for consideration, for a new model for the allocation of teaching supports for children with Special Educational Needs, based on the educational profile of a school. Mr Eamon Stack, the NCSE Chairperson and former Chief Inspector in my Department, has been appointed to chair this working...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Contribution Fee (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the Student Contribution stands at €2,500 for the current academic year and is payable by students who qualify under my Department's free fees schemes. I have already signalled my intention to increase the Student Contribution by €250 each year hereafter until the 2015/16 academic year when the contribution will stand at €3,000. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The majority of schools include among their pupils, children with disadvantaged backgrounds, and in general most schools address the individual needs of these children without recourse to additional targeted resources. DEIS "Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools" an action plan for educational inclusion focuses on addressing the educational needs of children and young people from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Current policy in relation to Traveller education is underpinned by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation with relevant stakeholders including Traveller representative groups. The principle of inclusion is at the core of the Strategy and, accordingly, the focus of both current and future provision...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 211 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that it is my Department's intention to provide improved acccommodation for the school to which he refers. It is intended that the school will be accommodated in a school building currently occupied temporarily by a special school pending the construction of a permanent school building for the latter. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme will be eligible to have their post-graduate tuition fees paid up to the maximum fee limit of €6,270. Currently maintenance support is not available for students entering postgraduate courses. To qualify for the special rate of grant an applicant must meet the following conditions:...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Following an independent identification process in 2005, 875 schools were selected for inclusion in DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools). The school to which the Deputy refers was not deemed to have a sufficient level of disadvantage to qualify for inclusion in DEIS and therefore was never classified as a DEIS school. A review mechanism was put in place in 2006 to address...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There was no change in Budget 2013 to any of the student grant rates including the non-adjacent or adjacent rates of grant, or the higher special rate of grant, for the 2013 financial year. As the Deputy will be aware, the reality of our economic situation presents significant challenges that have to be reconciled with limitations on public resources. This is a very stark reality, which,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to assure the Deputy that my Department is committed, subject to available resources, to providing the highest standard of permanent accommodation for all schools. The Deputy will be aware that the 5 year School Investment Plan announced in March 2012, provides for a €2 billion school capital investment programme, of which over €1.5 billion is being allocated to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Minister Fitzgerald and I published an Action Plan on Bullying on 29th January which sets out twelve actions to help prevent and tackle bullying in primary and second level schools. I have ring-fenced €500,000 to support implementation of the Action Plan this year. Work on the implementation of the actions is progressing well. Some weeks ago, I launched new National Procedures on Anti...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the deputy that the amount allocated to support the delivery of the Anti-Bullying Parent Training Programme has been increased to €60,000 due to the high level of interest expressed from schools and parents throughout the country. This will provide for up to 115 anti-bullying training sessions for parents and it is being run jointly by the National Parents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 188, 189 and 221 to 223, inclusive, together. The new Framework for Junior Cycle clearly recognises the importance of Physical Education (P.E) and physical activity in schools. One of the eight principles which underpin the Framework is that of "Wellbeing" which means that each student's learning experience should contribute directly to their physical,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The two schools referred to by the Deputy have agreed to amalgamate and submitted an application for a major capital project. As the Deputy is aware, this school project is scheduled on the Five Year Plan to proceed to construction in 2015/2016. Further to a technical site visit by Department officials, the girls school was deemed to be the most suitable location, subject to additional land...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy documentation was received on the 19th of September and these documents are currently awaiting review.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Oideachas Gaeilge (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Tá athbhreithniú ar bun ag mo Roinn faoi láthair ar an oideachas a chuirtear ar fáil sa Ghaeltacht mar aitheantas don chomhthéacs reachtaíochta ina bhfuil na scoileanna Gaeltachta ag feidhmiú agus mar aitheantas ar na dúshláin ar leith a ghabhann le hoideachas trí mheán na Gaeilge a sholáthar do pháistí sna scoileanna sin....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school or for children with a special educational need who are awaiting an educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with autism....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Administration (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A student can complete his/her grant application online on the SUSI website, which will guide the student through the process. Before completing the application a student should read the Guidance Notes in relation to "Category of Applicant". This information will enable the student to determine which category applies to him/her. For student grants purposes, students are categorised...