Results 3,321-3,340 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (3 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including resource teaching allocations. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special...

Leaders' Questions (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: That is a bit rich coming from Deputy Martin.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 144 together. A key focus of the Government's education policy is to prioritise investment in favour of those most at risk and to optimise access, participation and outcomes at every level of the system for disadvantaged groups. In 2012, my Department provided approximately €15 million in total to first and second level schools by way of book...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Expenditure (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. Officials in my Department have asked the Higher Education Authority to check if the information is obtainable. Any available information will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No 2) Act 2009 was introduced in order to achieve a significant reduction in the public service pay bill. All persons employed by a recognised school or VEC/ETB are "public servants" within the meaning of the Act, regardless of the source of the money used to fund their salary, the lack of ability of any Minister or Department to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy may be aware that on the 23rd September last, I launched a public consultation on promoting inclusiveness in primary schools. The public consultation process is part of my Action Plan in response to the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The main stakeholder groups that were involved in the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 148 and 162 together. As the Deputy may be aware I launched new "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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Rates (2 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. The aim of the student maintenance grant scheme has always been to make a contribution to the cost of going to college; covering the full cost has never been a feasible option. As the Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Voluntary Contributions (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Student Contribution stands at €2,500 for the current academic year and is payable by students who qualify under the 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 Contribution is paid by the Exchequer in respect...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans at present to introduce a loan scheme for postgraduate students. A number of financial institutions offer loans to assist students with costs associated with their studies. Following discussions with my Department, with support and advice from the National Treasury Management Agency, a specific loan initiative was introduced by Bank of Ireland in 2012 to provide finance for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Remuneration (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 152 to 154, inclusive, together. All Government Departments ceased to issue Payable Orders with effect from the 30th August 2013 under the Public Service Reform Plan. My Department issued a total of 247 Payable Orders in August 2013; 12 Payable Orders issued to serving primary/voluntary secondary school teachers; 165 Payable Orders issued to personnel paid...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: DIT and the DIT Foundation have a target to raise €30m through philanthropy to support the redevelopment of listed buildings on the Grangegorman site and to target the provision of facilities that otherwise have no immediate source of funding. DIT approached the Dublin Catholic Archdiocese with a request to seek a contribution through philanthropy towards the restoration of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The detailed arrangements regarding supplementary assignment arrangements for SNAs for the 2013/2014 school year are set out in Departmental Circular 0037/2013 which issued on 1 July 2013 and which is available on the Department's website at the following address: . With effect from 1 May 2013 once an SNA with a minimum of one year's service is notified by his/her employer that he/she is to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The person referred to by the Deputy continues to receive salary from my Department. Queries regarding Garda vetting and teacher registration are a matter for the Teaching Council. The teacher in question should contact the Teaching Council in regard to those issues.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is referring to resources allocated to schools under the General Allocation Model (GAM) of additional teaching supports, which are allocated to all Primary schools to cater for children with high incidence special educational needs. I wish to advise the Deputy that differing pupil teacher ratios are applied under the GAM in relation to boys, girls and mixed schools in order to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. Thus my Department has issued a number of circulars addressing this issue in recent years. Under these circulars school Principal's must maintain a list of unemployed registered...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers is among a range of schools earmarked for delivery through the Public Private Partnership (PPP) process. The PPP process forms a central part of the Government's overall economic stimulus package. This specific school was identified for inclusion in the PPP process in May 2013. It is expected that procurement of the bundle of schools to which this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has been working closely with Meath County Council in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the development to which he has referred. A suitable site has been identified and negotiations are ongoing. Due to commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further on this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination and for appeals and rechecks. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (2 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has not contracted any consultants in 2013 to advise on the possible sale of assets.