Results 3,361-3,380 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Higher Education Authority's annual publication "Higher Education Key Facts and Figures" provides an overview of data from the Irish education system highlighting key trends for the year including Socio Economic, Ethnic/Cultural and Disability data. The report covering the academic year 2011/12 was published in April 2013. Section 7 of the report contains information on the socio -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware the Student Contribution, which currently stands at €2,500, is payable by students who qualify under my Departments Free Fees Schemes. Students who qualify under my Department's student grant scheme have the contribution paid on their behalf by the Exchequer (some 40%). Conscious of financial pressures on families tax relief provisions have been put in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Directives (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is in compliance with European Union directives within my areas of responsibility. No fines have been imposed for non-compliance, or are likely to be imposed in the foreseeable future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postgraduate Loan Scheme Implementation (1 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: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 244 to 246, inclusive, together. The number of students (both new and renewal) who received student grants (which may include maintenance or fees) for the academic year 2011/12 was 76,644. Of these 67,650 were in higher education and 8,994 in further education. Data has traditionally been collated on a socio-economic background of new awards and not on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 251 to 255, inclusive, together. Data on the number of teachers in each primary school in 2013-2014 is available in the table Class Size Information at Individual Primary School Level on the Department's website at the link: . That table shows 12 schools with 1 mainstream class teacher, 573 schools with 2 mainstream class teachers, 469 schools with 3...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There is detailed historical information contained in the Statistics Section of my Department's website relating to the number of teaching posts in schools. The most recent published information relates to the 2012/2013 school year. There are circa 4,100 learning/language support posts in place in primary schools and circa 730 posts in post primary schools in the current school year. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There is detailed historical information contained in the Statistics Section of my Department's website relating to the number of teaching posts in schools. The most recent published information relates to the 2012/2013 school year. The NCSE has notified all schools of their allocation of resource hours for low incidence special needs for the 2013/14 school year and has published this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: 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 processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports including Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support, to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 to 261, inclusive, together. 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 details that there are currently 119 special schools in Ireland. Details of these special schools are provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Capitation Grants (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 263 to 265, inclusive, together. My Department provides capitation funding to all recognised primary schools and post primary schools within the free education scheme. My Department provides funding to primary schools by way of per capita grants, subject to a minimum grant equivalent to 60 pupils. The funding arrangements made by my Department for post...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 266 to 269, inclusive, together. The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (RISF) has been established 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, across a range of services, including mental health services, health...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270, 272 and 275 together. It is a matter for the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF) to perform the statutory functions assigned to it. These functions include determining and publishing the approved services under section 8 of the Act and the criteria by reference to which it will make decisions in respect of applications. It is a matter for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: All expenditure incurred by the Board in the performance of its functions, including its payroll costs, are met from the investment account operated by the National Treasury Management Agency. In accordance with the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 the investment account is financed from the contributions from the religious congregations of up to €110 million and any...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Those entitled to apply for assistance from the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF) are those who received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board (RIRB) and other similar Court awards. Section 24 of the RISF Act, 2012 provides that the RIRB can furnish the RISF with the name, address and date of birth of recipients of awards. This transfer of information ensures...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Establishment (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education Finance Board (EFB) was dissolved with effect from 29 March 2013 when I made an Order commencing Part 4 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF) Act 2012. I understand that the moneys remaining of the €12.7m available to the EFB amounted to less than €30,000 and that these funds will be used to meet the outstanding commitments of the EFB. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Issues (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My officials recently met with representatives of the Right to Peace group and discussed the arrangements regarding the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund (RISF). I understand that a meeting is also being arranged between the group and the Chair of the RISF Board to discuss these arrangements.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Schemes the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved higher education institution. Higher Education Institutions determine the entitlements of students to free fees based on meeting the prescribed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: University Libraries (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As I have indicated to the Deputy in my previous replies to his questions on this matter, most recently on 18th September, the management of university libraries is entirely a matter for the universities themselves to administer, a function which they carry out in accordance with their statutory autonomy under the Universities Act 1997. I understand that, in general, universities do...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (1 Oct 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I announced on 10 May 2011 that €40m was available through the Jobs Initiative to fund 374 primary and post-primary school building projects. I indicated that €30 million of the funding would be spent in 2011. Actual expenditure to date on the Jobs Initiative is as follows: Expenditure in 2011 - €30.779m; Expenditure in 2012 - €8.5m. Outstanding balances due to...