Results 4,321-4,340 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (16 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 733. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to introduce a national standard for food provision in schools, or if she has discussed the potential for this with the Department of Social Protection. [23724/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 732. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason she has not met with the Irish Heart Foundation to discuss the matter of food provision in schools. [23723/15]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (16 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 734. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there is any monitoring process in place to ensure that schools engage in providing health foods; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [23725/15]

Written Answers — Department of Environment, Community and Local Government: Water Supply (16 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 750. To ask the Minister for Environment, Community and Local Government if he is aware that 40% of schools have no access to free drinking water for students; and his plans to address this matter. [23726/15]

Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: It is very easy to pick up a telephone.

Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: The Tánaiste should answer the question she was asked and the Taoiseach should pick up a phone.

Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: A boy of 19 years of age is on hunger strike and that is Deputy Stagg's response.

Leaders' Questions (11 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: The Government has some neck given that it will not pick up a phone.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (11 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of concerns raised by students following the ordinary level leaving certificate mathematics paper 1 examination this year in relation to elements of the higher level paper being incorporated into this; if there is a strategy of making ordinary level mathematics papers more difficult in order to push students into doing the...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: As the Minister is aware, Dr. Sheehy Skeffington won the tribunal and was awarded €70,000, which she has donated towards the legal costs of the High Court action. The fact that the Minister has not seen the terms of reference is an indication of how NUI Galway is approaching the issue. There is considerable criticism from the female lecturers themselves as well as the unions...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: Has the Minister seen the terms of reference for the task force?

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 12. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which she expects to receive the Higher Education Authority report on gender equality in third level colleges, following the recent audit which the authority initiated. [21931/15]

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: The reason I put down this question is due to the significant concerns at NUI Galway where four female lecturers have taken gender equality cases, three of whom have taken High Court cases and one who has gone to a tribunal. Professor Pat O’Connor, from the University of Limerick, an expert in gender equality, has turned down an invitation from the task force to advise it on gender...

Other Questions: Apprenticeship Programmes (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I fully support the initiative the Department is undertaking in regard to apprenticeships, which I believe are a key economic driver now and for the future. We need to learn from the past situation where we tailored our apprenticeships for the here and now, for example, for construction. When the construction area blew up, we ended up with people without skills in other areas. We need to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the number of schools which had to close on 22 May 2015 due to their use as polling stations for the referendums; if she will provide details on the impact this has on lost school days; if she will agree to liaise with the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government to draw up a plan to find alternative venues for...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: On the previous issue, unfortunately, in my constituency there are no alternative locations either bar the local school. It may be different in rural areas but certainly in urban areas the school is the most appropriate venue. My question is to ask the Minister's views on the recent evaluation report into DEIS, her proposals arising from that report and actions her Department will undertake...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: I will ask some questions in my supplementaries about some of her proposals but regarding the terms of reference which are being drawn up, it is important as an Opposition spokesperson to point out some of the issues I believe should be included in those terms of reference. The first is to examine the issue of funding. There is no doubt that the Government has done its best to try to...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: When we look at the differences, the gap is somewhere in the region of 0.2%. One of the proposals the Minister has examined is the establishment of an interdepartmental group. When will that happen? What Departments will be represented? What form of consultation will take place? Will a timeframe be put on that? When will it report back? Will there be an interim report? Given that we...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: Would it be possible to get a copy of the draft terms of reference and for myself and Deputy McConalogue to be allowed have some input into the process?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: School Guidance Counsellors (10 Jun 2015)

Jonathan O'Brien: 2. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the 2014 ESRI school leavers study that provided conclusive evidence of the importance of guidance counselling to students from lower socio-economic groups; if she is further aware that schools in that bracket cannot provide sufficient guidance counselling services within their current teaching allocation; and her plans to...