Results 3,941-3,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Due to economic circumstances, a number of difficult expenditure reduction measures were taken in recent budgets. A decision in Budget 2012 has meant that new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme, but may qualify in some circumstances for limited fee support. Those who do meet...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Oct 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: Education and Training Boards Staff (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Co-ordinators and Resource Persons employed in the Youthreach programme operated by Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are not employed as teachers and as such they are not required to register with the Teaching Council. They have their own separate terms and conditions which are set out in Department circulars. While the Department does not specify particular qualifications for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school in question were approved funding in August last to complete the project referred to by the Deputy. The school has made no further application for funding in respect of this project and I understand the school is currently finishing the works involved.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has made an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional accommodation. The application is currently being considered and my Department will be in direct contact with the school authorities concerned as soon as the assessment process has been concluded.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The 2015 capital allocation for the school sector funds the Large Scale Project Programme, the Additional Accommodation Programme, the Prefab Replacement Programme, site acquisitions, the Emergency Works Scheme, the Summer Works Scheme, furniture and equipment grants, the Design and Communications Graphics Grant and other smaller programmes. Over the next number of weeks the likely...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Garda Vetting of Personnel (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, for parents, for agencies that work with children and for society generally and I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. It is Department policy that access within the Department to POD data is limited to the POD...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's approach to restoring the economy has helped Ireland to return to a position where we are seeing economic growth. It is a continuing improvement in our economic growth over a sustained period that will enable us to move to a point where we can look again at providing for additional teacher resources in schools which could bring about further improvement in PTR, class size and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Expenditure (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's approach to restoring the economy has helped Ireland to return to a position where we are seeing economic growth. I have already indicated that I am determined that education should be prioritised for investment as our economy recovers and I will be seeking to agree a set of priorities for such increased investment into the future. In the last Budget, I was able to secure the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The student to which the Deputy refers, recently appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board (SGAB). The appeal will be heard within the 60 day timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011. The decision of the SGAB will be communicated directly to the student in due course.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's policy is that the well-being and safety of children should be at the centre of all policy and practices in schools. The Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school and is required to prepare a code of behaviour in accordance with Section 23 of the Education (Welfare) Act...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Data (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought by the Deputy is currently being compiled by my Department and will be forwarded shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to ensuring that all children with Special Educational Needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs, preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. A range of supports have been provided for schools which have enrolled pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Student Grant Scheme provides that in order to qualify for the special rate of grant an applicant must meet the following conditions: 1. The applicant must qualify for the standard rate of grant; 2. Reckonable income must not exceed €22,703; and 3. On the 31st December of the relevant period the reckonable income must include an eligible long-term payment prescribed in the Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Momentum Programme (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am informed by SOLAS that the estimated cost of training 100 participants in the current Momentum programme is €320,000.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The average unit cost of a Springboard place is €4,450. However, the actual cost of individual places on Springboard courses varies from course to course, and can range between €578 to €10,500 per place, depending on the nature, the length and the skills area of the course. It is therefore not possible to give a general figure for the cost of every additional 100...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 644 and 645 together. In his Report on the Report of the Accounts of the Public Services, 2014, the Comptroller and Auditor General reported, in section 12.33, that some tuition for pre-school children with autism is delivered by specialist providers in a classroom setting at a cost to the Department of around €4 million in 2014. In areas where such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy may be aware, a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Department of Education and Skills and the County and City Managers' Association (CCMA) in relation to the acquisition of sites has been in place since 2012. This MOU fosters increased levels of cooperation and formalises the Local Authorities' part in identifying and securing sites for educational use. Officials in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Costs (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Apart from the recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised schools are precluded from charging school fees. Voluntary contributions by parents of pupils in such recognised schools are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution, they are doing so of their own volition. The manner...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (6 Oct 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Details on the number of students who will qualify for free fees funding for the academic year 2015/16 are not yet available. However, in the most recent year for which information is available, 2013/14, 129,261 students qualified for free fees funding. This resulted in a cost to my Department in the region of €310 m.