Results 4,321-4,340 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Eligibility (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 6/6/2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form it would not be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Eligibility (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 2/5/2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. SUSI also confirmed that they have no appeal on file in relation to this applicant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Research and Development Supports (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The research prioritisation report provides that a proportion of investment should continue to be available to support research driven by knowledge creation. This type of research continues to be funded as part of a sustainable well functioning STI system, which helps to develop the human capital that is required for a sustainable system including postgraduate and post-doctoral training of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Course Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The system is facing many challenges ahead, and a growing demand for highly skilled and innovative adaptable Irish graduates with a world-class reputation. If the system is to meet increasing demands for knowledge, innovation and human capital, higher education institutions need to have a strong strategic focus and mission direction underpinned by a new relationship of accountability with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant, given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionality in the DEIS programme. In this context, I have no immediate plans to undertake the type of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 115 and 135 together. The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including children with Down 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that last year I requested the NCSE to review and make recommendations on the supports that we provide to children with special educational needs and how they are allocated, to ensure we are delivering the best possible educational experience and outcomes for our children. The NCSE have now published their policy advice on Support Students with Special Educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that all the records of funding that would have been generated from the time the school in question first opened are not readily available due to the historical nature of record keeping and data storage. I am happy to provide the most recent records of funding covering the ten years 2004 to end May 2013. The level of funding provided by my Department to the school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has applied to my Department for major capital funding for a new school building. I can confirm also that I met with a delegation from the school last week relating to their request to relocate to the premises in question. My Department advised the delegation that the premises, when vacated, is required to meet emerging...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of Circular 49/2010 each post primary school is provided with an annual allocation of substitute hours. These hours are used to provide cover for teacher absences arising from uncertified sick leave and official school business. If the teachers are considered to be on official school business by the managerial authority of the school then these hours provided under Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Institutes of Technology are autonomous institutions within the meaning of the Institutes of Technology Acts 1992 to 2006 and the governance and management of their academic affairs, including programme provision and organisational structures are matters for which the Governing Body and the management authorities of the Institute are responsible. Neither I nor my Department has any function...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. Various income thresholds for a grant apply depending on the number of dependent children in a family and/or the number of children attending further and higher education. Any applicant, below these thresholds and who meets all of the other terms and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Relations Contracts Expenditure (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has not incurred any expenditure on external public relations, communications consultants and organisations since 9 March, 2011

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. My Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a severe/profound general learning disability. Where school based...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies Staff Recruitment (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware that COGG has a core staff of three. COGG has, in fact, a budget of €1.55m currently. The topics and the areas of research that COGG deals with are very varied. With its budget COGG has the flexibility to contract out work to experts in the field, as necessary. This allows COGG to benefit from the wide range of Irish language and teaching expertise which is available. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans to establish a Forum along the lines suggested by the Deputy. This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or Reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. With regard to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is conscious of the need to adapt existing policies and to develop new policies as new research or learning becomes available. The National Council for Special Education has a formal role under Section 20.1(j) of EPSEN to advise the Minister 'in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities'. I have now requested the NCSE to prepare...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A major school building project for both the junior and the senior schools referred to by the Deputy is on the 5 year construction programme and is scheduled to commence construction in 2014/15. A tender exercise to appoint the design team is currently nearing completion. Once appointed, the design team will take the project through the stages of architectural planning to tender and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Commission (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) has indicated that Question 8, on Monday's Leaving Certificate Maths, Higher Level, Paper 2 contained an error. The SEC has advised me that there were also errors on 3 other Mathematics papers, both Leaving and Junior Certificate, provided to candidates this year. The SEC acknowledges that these errors may have caused confusion and distress for some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (18 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Accenture Report contained a series of recommendations, many of which are already being implemented by SUSI. In line with these recommendations and in preparation for the 2013/14 academic year, both the online application system and the application assessment process have been further developed to enhance their effectiveness and to deal with the difficulties experienced in year one. A...