Results 3,341-3,360 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 508 and 509 together. The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts for our primary and post primary schools next year. This includes the allocation of a whole time equivalent of an additional 300 teachers to second level schools and brings the basis of allocation from 19:1 to 18.7:1 for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Supervision and Substitution Scheme (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Supervision and Substitution scheme in schools was amended under the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement. Since the commencement of the 2013/14 school year, participation in the scheme is compulsory for all teachers. The annual hours requirement for S&S duties has been increased to 43 hours and enhanced operational flexibilities have been introduced. The allowance that was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The criteria for the allocation of posts are communicated to school managements annually and are available on the Department website. The Deputy will be aware that I have made provision in Budget 2016 for some 2,260 additional teaching posts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is currently no programme funding that schools can draw down for ICT upgrades. Under the Digital Strategy for Schools 2015 - 2020, €30m will be provided to schools in the 2016/2017 school year and multi annual grants will be provided to schools rising to €50m by the end of the Strategy. Earlier this year, €7m was allocated to post primary schools to support the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Inclusive education is a mandatory area of study for all student teachers who are undertaking programmes of initial teacher education at primary and post primary levels. The Teaching Council of Ireland's requirements for initial teacher education programmes set out learning outcomes for graduates of the programmes. The first learning outcome identified for graduates concerns ethical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will appreciate that, in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it is not possible to say whether or not a particular student would qualify for a grant. The eligibility of the individual to which the Deputy refers is a matter for SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland) to determine; upon...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: SUSI currently has 4,674 application on hand, where students have submitted their documentation. These applications will be processed in the coming weeks and those students who have been awarded, and had their registration confirmed by their institutions will be paid in December. SUSI has received almost 107,700 student grant applications to date for the 2015/16 academic year of which 16,500...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 516 and 517 together. Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. I understand that Caranua has a Customer Service Charter and Feedback and Complaints Policy which may be accessed on the organisation's website (www.caranua.ie). The website allows applicants to provide feedback, submit comments and make formal complaints in cases where there...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that a notification of a decision to grant planning permission has been received from Cork County Council for a 16 classroom-school to facilitate the amalgamation to which the Deputy refers. However, there are conditions attaching to the grant which are outside of the control of my Department and my Department has concerns that these conditions could prevent the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Administration (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS who manage the Safepass programme. I understand that SOLAS have been in contact with the individual concerned and that the matter has been resolved.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the beginning of the financial crisis, there has been a need to enact a number of measures to reduce public expenditure. The previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Land Swaps (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: With regard to the matter raised by the Deputy, I can confirm that my Department has received correspondence from the club referred to by the Deputy. This correspondence is currently under consideration. A response will issue in due course from my Department to the correspondent.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, an application for a new school building was submitted to my Department as part of the amalgamation process involving St Joseph's BNS and Mary Immaculate GNS. My Department's letter of approval in 2013 to the proposed amalgamation, from September 2014, noted that the amalgamation would proceed on a split campus basis. As you will appreciate, the school's request must...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Religious Discrimination (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Constitution and in accordance with the Education Act 1998, parents have a right to have their children opt out of religion classes and it is expected that this right will be upheld by schools on foot of a parental request. In relation to the school in question, I understand that following an initial decision of the school not to agree to a parent's request to allow his child...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I met with the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission in June of this year to discuss a number of matters including the Education (Admission to Schools) Bill and I welcome the recently published observations of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission on the Bill. The Commission welcomes the overall aims of the Bill and notes that it is an important development in Ireland's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the building project for the school to which she refers was previously included in my Department's 2015 Construction Plan. It was not therefore necessary to re-announce the project on the 2016-2021 Construction Programme. A site for the new school was recently acquired and architectural planning for the development has now commenced. It is my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Adult Education (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has provided funding in the region of €30 million per annum for the years from 2007 to 2013 for the Adult Literacy Programme. Since the beginning of 2014, funding for adult literacy has been provided through SOLAS to the Education and Training Boards and other bodies. In 2015, the SOLAS provision for the Adult Literacy Programme is €30.4 million. In addition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support, which is set out in my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (1 Dec 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy may be aware, I have recently commenced a process to renew the DEIS programme. The review process is being undertaken over the course of the current school year and will consider all issues pertaining to educational disadvantage. I hope to be in a position to make an overall proposal for the delivery of future interventions to tackle educational disadvantage after that....