Results 3,921-3,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (9 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative 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 (9 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD), which includes provision for the establishment of special classes for pupils with SSLD in primary schools. Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school's assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO) and those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (9 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Some 85% of all NCSE approved resource teaching hours in the 2012/13 school year were allocated to schools that had resource base posts. There are some slight changes to the location of these base posts for the 2013/14 school year to further improve the efficiency of these arrangements. The schools that were affected by these changes were those where the posts were not fully utilised for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (9 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In June 2011, I announced that 20 new primary schools are to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations. I also put in place revised procedures and criteria for the establishment of new schools which provide a balanced approach to allow for applications to be made by all prospective patrons. Full details are available on my Department's website. Applications for patronage of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (9 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the provisions of the Education Act, 1998, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The Board of Management is the employer of teaching and other staff and has similar powers to any other employer. While my Department operates a payroll service in respect of teachers on behalf of Boards of Management and has statutory functions in the setting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying of Children (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department as individual school management authorities are not required to report incidents of bullying to my Department. As the Deputy is probably aware, on 29th of January last, Minister Fitzgerald and I published the Action Plan on Bullying which sets out twelve actions to help prevent and tackle bullying in primary and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving an application from the school in question for capital funding towards the project as outlined in the details supplied. The Deputy will be aware that my Department's priority is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Courses Availability (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has received representations on behalf of students enrolled on this programme which the institution concerned included in their CAO course offerings for the first time in 2012. I have asked the HEA to engage with the institution to identify how the situation can be resolved for the students and to report to me on the matter as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (4 Jul 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: Special Educational Needs Staffing (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, a new set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). The Government has committed to implementing the terms of the Haddington Road Agreement for grades represented by Unions which have signed up to the Haddington...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy appealed their decision. SUSI reviewed her application and she was issued with a decision on the appeal on the 26th June 2013. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down in writing by SUSI and remains of the view that the scheme has not been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that my Department have received correspondence from the school, referred to by the Deputy, in relation to their long term accommodation needs The school's proposals are currently being assessed and my Department will be in contact with the school authorities, concerned, on the matter shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available but will be forwarded directly to her when it is compiled.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Enrolment Policy (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. It is the responsibility of the managerial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Regulations (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (D/PER) has responsibility for implementing national policy on public procurement, particularly in relation to construction procurement. Capital projects funded by my Department are administered in line with the guidance issued by D/PER under the Capital Works Management Framework. Bonds are generally required for projects with an estimated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Since March 2006 the Teaching Council is the statutory body for the registration of teachers including the recognition of teaching qualifications. The Council's registration regulations must be met before a person can be registered as a teacher. The Regulations aim to ensure consistency of approach and high standards for entry to the profession. Teachers are employed by the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The reckonable income thresholds for the standard rates of student grant normally track the percentage changes in average industrial earnings for specified reference periods as provided by the Central Statistics Office. Calculation of reckonable income is set out in Article 22(3) of the Student Grant Scheme 2013. The eligibility criteria for student grants including the income thresholds is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down's syndrome, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Suspension (4 Jul 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: When the Minor Works Grant last issued in November 2011 for the school year 2011/2012, I stated that given the need to focus on meeting the demand for additional school places, it was unlikely that funding would be available for the Minor Works Grant in the coming years. This is borne out by the fact that in 2012, 85% of the capital expenditure in the school sector was in respect of large...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (4 Jul 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 is the mechanism used for the allocation of classroom...