Results 3,661-3,680 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of Architectural Planning - Stage 2b (Detailed Design) which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert, Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. The application for planning permission has been lodged with the Local Authority and a decision is now awaited. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I indicated on 13 October 2015 that a Minor Works Grant for 2015/2016 will be paid to primary schools in November 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I recently announced that the minor works grant will issue to primary schools later this year. The school may use its minor works grant to resurface its playground if it considers this a priority. I also announced that there will be a summer works scheme in 2016. It will, alternatively, be open to the school to apply for funding for the works under this scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS), introduced in 1989, was designed specifically for long-term unemployed people who have minimal or no qualifications to facilitate their return to education and training. There are a range of other options available to unemployed people for upskilling in the Further Education and Training sector. Information on these options is available...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is in the process of finalising an exercise to establish the level of provision required at primary and post-primary level, based on the most up to date demographic data available. In this regard, the Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to identify where the pressure for additional school places will arise. The GIS uses data from the Central Statistics...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution as defined in the Student Grant scheme. Private colleges such as Griffith College, operated on a for-profit basis are not listed as approved institutions for student grant purposes. However, tax relief on tuition fees may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Extra Curricular Activities (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The DES does not have a policy that streams students/pupils into ability groups for sports based on ability. All PE lessons are normally mixed ability. Differentiation should be based on the outcomes of teaching and learning and should ensure that all students are sufficiently challenged and can experience success at their particular level. Students/pupils with special educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the policy of my Department is that children with special educational needs, including children with autism, should be included where possible and appropriate in mainstream placements with additional supports provided. In circumstances where children with special educational need require more specialised interventions, special school or special class places...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Standards are established for new syllabuses in Ireland in advance of examining. The approach taken is sometimes described as a "college of professionals" approach. In the first instance, a group of people who are deemed to have an expert knowledge of what the students in the target audience ought to be able to achieve in the subject concerned reach a consensus regarding the content...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which she refers has made an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. The application is being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The six month unemployed requirement specified in relation to the VTOS programme is predicated on the person having been unemployed during this entire period. To facilitate people who may have been working part time, the six month qualifying period, which is 156 days, can be accumulated within a period of 52 weeks subject to certain conditions. This information is available on my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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, including the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The capital funding issued to schools in the primary and post-primary sectors in County Cork in the years 2011 to 2015 is as follows: PRIMARY 2011 - €24.8m 2012 - €23.8m 2013 - €31.1m 2014 - €37.4m 2015 - €13.0m POST-PRIMARY 2011 - €6.4m 2012 - €7.0m 2013 - €14.2m 2014 - €16.2m 2015 - €26.3m It is not possible to provide...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's latest published projections of primary pupil enrolment indicate a pupil increase of the order of some 29,000 pupils between 2014/15 and 2018/19. These projections are published on my Department's website. My Department is currently reviewing the latest nationwide demographic data to assess where further additional provision may be required at primary level. As the Deputy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions Staff (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since the introduction of the moratorium on public sector recruitment, an Employment Control Framework (ECF) has been in place for the higher education sector which provides institutions with considerable flexibility to fill vacancies, through recruitment or promotions on the basis of meeting an overall ceiling of posts. Under this Framework the re-employment of retired staff should only...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Caranua is an independent statutory body established under the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012. Decisions of Caranua may be appealed to the independent Appeals Officer appointed under section 21 of the 2012 Act. The Appeals Officer has dealt with 82 cases to date. The 2014 annual report of the Appeals Officer is in the public domain and can be accessed at www.caranua.ie....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (3 Nov 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Education (Admission to Schools) Bill 2015, which was published in April of this year and is on the Government's legislative programme for enactment in this session, introduces a number of important changes to make enrolment policies fairer and more transparent. These changes include new powers for the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and the Child and Family Agency to...