Results 3,461-3,480 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (24 Sep 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 the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for allocating mainstream teaching posts to all schools. It operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils with lower thresholds for DEIS Band 1 schools. The table below sets out the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 227 and 266 together. I can confirm that the acquisition of a site for a new building for the school referred to by the Deputies is being progressed by my Department. Negotiations with the owners of suitable sites are ongoing. However, due to the commercially sensitive nature of these negotiations, I am not in a position to give further details at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The issues raised in this question relate to budgetary matters. The budget for education, including the number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund in schools is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the forthcoming budget. The decisions in relation to such matters will be announced at budget time. The Government will endeavour to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The charging of a registration fee is a standard feature among professional regulatory bodies. To register as a professional reflects an individual's commitment to abide by and uphold certain standards of practice, ethics and qualifications. Under the Teaching Council Acts 2001 to 2012 the Teaching Council may, subject to the consent of the Minister for Education and Skills, charge fees for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has received a proposal from BeatBullying (The BB Group) and this is currently being considered.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The legislation establishing the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund followed an extensive consultation process undertaken by my Department, which involved meetings with the religious congregations, groups representing survivors of residential institutional child abuse and a number of other interested parties. Press advertisements were placed in over 40 local and national newspapers and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has received a proposal from BeatBullying (The BB Group) and this is currently being considered.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234 and 238 together. As the Deputy will be aware, 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. Some 120,000 students qualified...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: With effect from 01 September 2011 the minimum required standard of education for appointment to the post of Special Needs Assistant is a FETAC level 3 major qualification on the National Framework of Qualifications, a minimum of three grade Ds in the Junior Certificate, or equivalent. The person referred to by the Deputy should contact the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland who...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Places (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I acknowledge that the various budget measures that have taken place in recent years can limit the employment opportunities for newly qualified teachers. However, there are limits to the number of teaching posts that we can afford to fund as a country. A number of measures have been taken to alleviate difficulties for new teachers. My Department has directed managerial authorities of schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers Panel Rights (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 241 and 263 together. The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2013/14 academic year as specified under the 2013 student grant scheme is as follows: 1. Student must qualify for the standard rate of grant. 2. Total reckonable income net of income disregards and Child Dependant Increase must not exceed €22,703. 3. As at 31st December, 2012, the reckonable income must include...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (24 Sep 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, an email was received from the applicant on 30th August 2013 requesting that his application be cancelled. SUSI issued a letter to the student on 19th September 2013 confirming cancellation of the application.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 3rd September 2013. In order to be eligible for the Special Rate of Maintenance Grant the reckonable income must include an eligible payment as listed in Schedule 2 of the Student Grant Scheme. SUSI have confirmed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (24 Sep 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 the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (24 Sep 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. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (24 Sep 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 primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports. This includes the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required and the discontinuation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (24 Sep 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to confirm to the Deputy that the property occupied by the school to which he refers is owned by Mayo, Sligo and Leitrim Education and Training Board, who are responsible for its upkeep, maintenance and insurance arrangements.