Results 4,361-4,380 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Expenditure (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that in November 2014, I announced the allocation of more than €28 million to primary schools under the Minor Works Grant Scheme. This will allow schools to carry out improvement works to school buildings and grounds. It is open to schools to prioritise the works they wish to undertake within the terms of the scheme. The works to which the Deputy refers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (16 Jul 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 resource teachers and 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Relocation (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that discussions are ongoing between my Department and the Patron of the school, in question, in respect of the school's long term requirements. The Deputy may be aware that the school submitted a proposal through their Patron to relocate the school within the Portlaoise area to meet its long term needs. My Department has scheduled a technical site visit to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Council for Special Education (16 Jul 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 resource teachers and 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy may be aware that the State supports early intervention for children with special educational needs through providing funding to a number of crèche/pre-school settings including: early Intervention settings in mainstream and special schools; early Intervention settings in HSE funded service providers; private pre-school settings supported by the Early Childhood Care &...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information that is available in relation to the number of teachers in primary schools on a county basis as provided by the managerial authorities of the schools is published in the Statistics Section of my Department's website. The link to access the information is at www.education.ie/en/Publications/Statistics/Data-on-Individu al-Schools/ Statistics on a county basis are not compiled...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware the Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are statutory bodies with their own corporate status established under the Education and Training Boards Act 2013. Section 24 of the Education Act 1998, as amended by the Education (Amendment) Act 2012, provides that the appointment, suspension and dismissal of teachers are the responsibility of boards of management of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The correspondence referenced by the Deputy was received in my Department and a reply has issued to the sender, setting out the background and context of the matter. As the Deputy will appreciate, given the number of requests for my attention it is not possible to accede to a meeting in all cases. In relation to the substantive issues raised, as previously outlined to the Deputy, the...

Topical Issue Debate: Teaching Qualifications (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank Deputy McConalogue for raising this issue. I am aware of the concerns of Saint Nicholas Montessori College Ireland about the recognition of its teacher education programmes. As the House will be aware, the Teaching Council is the independent statutory regulator for the teaching profession. The council sets standards for all elements of the continuum of teacher education including...

Topical Issue Debate: Teaching Qualifications (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I did not refer to that particular issue in my earlier response. I expect the early years education advisory group to have an initial report back to me before the end of the year and I intend to meet it in the autumn. The group has started having meetings and looking at some of the issues. However, the group is focusing primarily on the early years rather than school age sector. It is...

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: This is a consequential amendment to section 6 of the Bill arising from changes being made to section 33 of the principal Act by way of amendment No. 3, which I will outline when I come to that amendment. As such, while amendment No. 3 is quite substantial, amendment No. 1 is simply technical and consequential.

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As with amendment No. 1, this is a consequential amendment to section 9 of the Bill arising from changes being made to section 33 of the principal Act by way of amendment No. 3, which I will outline when I come to that amendment.

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Amendment No. 3 substitutes the existing section 33 of the 2001 Act on renewal of registration. The Bill, as initiated, made a number of amendments to section 33 of the 2001 Act. Further amendments to section 33 were made on Committee Stage both in the Dáil and in the Seanad and additional amendments are now being made on Report Stage in the Seanad. The substituted section 33...

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: These are technical and consequential amendments arising from the renumbering of section 33 of the 2001 Act as amended by amendment No. 3.

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The purpose of this provision is to enable the Teaching Council, where it has received a vetting disclosure in respect of a registered teacher for the purpose of the renewal of his or her registration and information in that disclosure gives rise to a bona fide child protection concern, to provide that information to the employer of the teacher, where that employer is known to the council....

Seanad: Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: Report and Final Stages (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Section 46B was introduced as an amendment on Committee Stage in the Seanad to provide for the publication of certain information on the outcomes of fitness-to-teach inquiries. This amendment to 46B sets out in a clearer manner the provisions in relation to the circumstances in which the council shall inform the public of such information. It provides that the council shall, where satisfied...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Skills Development (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has a number of strategies and initiatives in place to ensure that education and training meets the skills requirements of the workplace. SOLAS, with the assistance of relevant experts such as the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), employers and local and national organisations, have published a five year strategy for the further education and training sector which...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (15 Jul 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 resource teachers and 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. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that an architectural design competition was announced in June 2014 to develop a primary school building at Harcourt Terrace. The submission deadline for shortlisted entrants for the second stage of the design competition, organised on behalf of the Department by the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland, is 17th July. It is expected that the winner of the design...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (15 Jul 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Tenders for the new primary school on Haddington Road were received by the Design Team on the 8th July 2015. The Design Team are currently preparing a Tender Report for submission to my Department. Subject to no issues arising the project will then progress to construction. The brief for the project is to provide a new 24 classroom school.