Results 4,201-4,220 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. The new arrangements introduced in the current school year are designed to address the limitations of the previous arrangements....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that requested additional documentation was incomplete. The applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on 22nd May, 2013 advising her that she was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies Expenditure (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) was established on 6 November 2012 through the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) and the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC). QQI was also given responsibility for the functions of the Irish Universities Quality Board (IUQB), a company...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is continuing to work with the school in question in relation to the school's long term accommodation requirements. As an interim measure, capital funding for roof repairs was approved to the school last year to improve the existing accommodation. The Deputy will be aware that my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, an appeals refusal letter issued on the 8th May 2013. I understand that SUSI has recently issued a copy of the appeals refusal letter to the applicant. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department received an application under the emergency works scheme from the school referred to by the Deputy for works relating to a retaining wall. As the scope of the works requested is outside the terms of the emergency works scheme it cannot be considered for funding. The school authority has been informed of this decision.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the land concerned is in the ownership of the Minister and is earmarked to be used in its entirety for educational purposes. The section in my Department that has responsibility for acquiring and developing such property is the Planning and Building Unit, based in my Department's offices in Tullamore.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (26 Jun 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 including resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions Issues (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Following completion of the Landscape process initiated by the HEA in 2012, I recently received the formal advice from the Authority on the re-configuration of the higher education system, including proposals for inter-institutional collaboration and system governance. The HEA report and my written response to John Hennessey, Chair of the Authority is published on my Department's website. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education is appointed in accordance with Section 21 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 which requires that the chairperson and 12 ordinary members of the Council are appointed by the Minister from among persons who have a special interest in, or knowledge relating to, the education of children with special educational needs....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The end of the school year in which age 65 is reached is the maximum age to which pensionable service may be given by a SNA who is not "a new entrant" under the terms of the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004. The abolition of compulsory retirement age under the Public Service Superannuation (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004 applies to new entrants only....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that my Department's home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (26 Jun 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, his student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on the 31st of May 2013. On that basis, the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome. Where an appeal is turned...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (26 Jun 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, her student grant application was appealed to the appeals officer in SUSI on the 11th of June 2013. On that basis, the application is currently being reassessed and the student will be notified directly by SUSI of the outcome. Where an appeal is turned...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that requested additional documentation was incomplete. The applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on 15th March, 2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that there are a small number of applications being closed out, and the turnaround time on receipt of outstanding documentation is normally two to three working days. There a number of appeals in the system also which are being prioritised. It is understood from SUSI that there has been some delays in dealing with the Oireachtas...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 116 and 117 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the level of resources devoted to supporting children with Special Educational Needs has been maintained at €1.3 billion this year. This includes provision for 10,575 Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and nearly 10,000 Learning Support and Resource Teachers. These resources have been protected...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Students who qualify under my Department's student grant scheme have the student contribution paid on their behalf by the Exchequer. The Government is aware of the financial pressures on families and, conscious of this, tax relief provisions have been put in place which provide for tax reliefs so that second and subsequent siblings do not have to bear the full cost. In addition, my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he/she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies...