Results 3,261-3,280 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Over the period since the launch of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in July 2011, there has been significant progress under many of the 41 actions and almost 180 sub-actions. I have increased the time spent on literacy and numeracy at primary level. Revision of the English and Irish curricula is being prioritised in Junior Cycle Reform. Major changes are being made to initial...

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. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Strategy to Improve Literacy and Numeracy among Children and Young People 2011 - 2020 envisaged that standardised tests for English Reading, Irish Reading and Mathematics would be developed. It is my intention that these tests will be rolled out to post-primary schools for use in the Spring of the school year commencing in September 2015 so as to be aligned with my proposals for...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) recently published comprehensive policy advice on Supporting Students with Special Educational Needs in Schools. This policy advice is available at www.ncse.ie. This publication provides details of the disabilities that qualify for low-incidence resource hours and also details the approximate number of number...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 204 and 205 together. The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISF) was established in March to oversee the use of the cash contributions of up to €110 million, pledged by the religious congregations, to support the needs of survivors of institutional child abuse. Supports across a range of services, including mental health services, health...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that my Department has been working with the relevant Local Authority for some time in relation to identifying and acquiring land suitable for the delivery of school accommodation for two new schools in the area to which the Deputy has referred. Following a joint assessment of a site, by my Department and the local authority, it was deemed suitable for educational development....

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. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety Issues (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy have been approved devolved funding to replace prefabs at their school. In recent days the school have submitted a further request for capital funding to provide additional car parking spaces on their school site. I wish to advise the Deputy that, in general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Over recent years there have been a number of school building projects which have encountered delays due to insolvency of the main contractor. However, none of these projects were ended or abandoned and all were completed or are in the process of being completed. Details in respect of these projects are contained in the table. As most of these projects have yet to close the final account, the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Responsibility for the delivery of a new 16 classroom school referred to by the Deputy has been devolved to the Office of Public Works. The project is at the early stages of architectural planning and I understand that the OPW is currently liaising with the school authorities to progress the sketch scheme for the school. A site survey has been completed and a building survey on the existing...

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

Ruairi Quinn: On 27th June 2013 the school referred to by the Deputy was approved a devolved grant under the Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme for the provision of 3 x 80m2 Mainstream Classrooms. I understand that the school authority has also decided to funding the provision of further additional accommodation as part of the project. A devolved project allows individual school authorities...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The project referred to by the Deputy has reached an advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2(b), which includes securing Planning Permission, Fire certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of tender documents. The detailed design stages of the project have been completed. The application for planning permission is expected to be submitted in the coming weeks....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (8 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: 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, unfortunately, means that changes to any public service, including the student grant scheme, cannot be ruled out. I empathise with students and I am very conscious of the fundamental role...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (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, her student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on 3rd October and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome. Where an appeal is turned down in writing by SUSI and the applicant remains of the view that the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The redundancy arrangements for Special Needs Assistants were agreed at a national level in 2006. The details and the rules in relation to these arrangements are outlined in my Department's Circular 58/2006. The deadline for receipt of applications for redundancy under this Circular is 52 weeks from the date of termination of the SNA's post. The post referred to by the Deputy was lost...

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

Ruairi Quinn: An appeal from the student referred to by the Deputy was received by the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The Appeals Board have requested SUSI to review the application. SUSI will issue notification directly to the student once the review is complete.

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 220, 247and 248 together. Guidance is a whole school activity and it does not just involve the guidance counsellor. Under existing arrangements each school develops a school guidance plan as a means of supporting the needs of its students. Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 224 and 225 together. Based on Gross Current Expenditure for my Department for 2012, the estimated Unit Costs of a student attending First-Level Education is €6,272 per annum, while the cost of a student attending Second-Level and Further Education is €8,735 per annum.

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that I met with representatives of the group referred to by him in his question on 25th June, 2013. At that meeting it was clarified that pupils with Down syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms of the General Allocation Model (GAM) of teaching supports, if the pupil's educational...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that my Department has been working closely with the relevant Local Authority in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the school to which the Deputy has referred. A suitable site has been identified and negotiations on its acquisition are ongoing. Due to commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment...