Results 4,401-4,420 of 9,820 for speaker:Thomas Byrne

Written Answers — Department of Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government: Social and Affordable Housing Funding (11 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 827. To ask the Minister for Housing, Planning, Community and Local Government the reason certain applications for social housing funding by Meath County Council were not successful in the recent allocations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [32670/17]

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 13. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce the pupil-teacher ratio across the school system. [31748/17]

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The question concerns the pupil-teacher ratio. I want to find out the Minister's plans to address this, knowing it is a key issue in the Irish education sector and knowing there is very little about in the Action Plan for Education. Nonetheless, it is a key condition of the confidence and supply agreement that Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael have entered into.

Other Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This is an issue that has been allowed to go off the boil politically for a little while but it has not gone off the boil in our schools across the country. This is a key demand of the INTO in particular and of the second level unions. Shockingly, 10,000 pupils are in primary level classes of over 35 students. That is incredible but it is a fact; that is what is happening on the ground....

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I want to add my voice in support of what Deputy Niamh Smyth said and what Deputy Brendan Smith would also say. This is an extremely important issue that is causing much angst locally. This is a common experience of schools. They find interfacing with the Department difficult. That is no disrespect to the Department officials who are overworked and very busy, but school authorities find...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 5. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will discuss the lack of notice given to schools of SNA allocations for the coming year; and if he will address concerns that SNAs do not know whether they will be in employment in 2018 in view of the fact that the 2016 to 2017 school year has now ended. [31912/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This question relates to the allocation of SNAs, which, for some reason, was inordinately delayed this year and took the good out of the announcement the Minister made yesterday. Owing to the failure of the Department to make this announcement a month ago, schools were left in confusion, SNAs suffered deep insecurity about their jobs and parents were left extremely worried for their...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: None of what the Minister said explains why this year the process took a month or more longer than it did last year. As far as I am aware, this is the first time this decision was made during the summer, after schools had closed. People with children with special needs, SNAs and schools have been done a disservice and there has been no explanation given for why the process took so long....

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: If the Minister is not prepared to give an apology will he at least give a guarantee that this will not happen next year and that the system will be sorted by then? The €30 million to which the Minister referred was allocated in the budget last year and was approved by these Houses at that point, so I am not sure what the rigmarole about it is now if it was already approved.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I welcome what has been said today. I hope this brings an end to it. We will be keenly looking out for the delegation orders as, I imagine, will the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, and she will be right to do so. Certainly, we support that. I appeal to the Minister to consider the position of the Minister of State, Deputy Halligan. He has an important role in research in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 3. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will discuss the new delegation of ministerial responsibility within his Department to the Ministers of State; and the way in which it is proposed that this will work. [31911/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This question relates to the role of the Ministers of State within the Department, particularly in light of the appointment of the Minister of State, Deputy Mary Mitchell O'Connor, whom I wish well in her job. I suppose there are a lot of questions about what everyone does in the Department. There have not been any delegation orders made. There is confusion about what exactly the Minister...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I welcome the answer. If the announcement is that the Minister of State, Deputy Mitchell O'Connor, will have delegated responsibility for the area that she has been given, I am delighted with that. If higher education has that completely separate voice at Cabinet, that is important. I think Deputy Mitchell O'Connor was treated pretty badly and if this is the job that is envisaged, that is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Ministerial Responsibilities (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: I am delighted to hear it. I welcome this appointment. That has not been clear. I believe delegation orders were before the Cabinet this week in respect of other Departments. They have not cropped up in this case. I believe the way the Cabinet reshuffle was dealt with has created uncertainty. While the issue of the salary is not a matter for the Minister, I believe it is discriminatory...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 1. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will discuss the execution of the European Court of Human Rights judgement in a case (details supplied); and if he will address concerns that the planned redress for survivors of child sexual abuse that took place in national schools is mean spirited and against the spirit of this judgment. [31910/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: This question relates to the sorry legacy of sexual abuse in our schools and the judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in relation to that on a limited number of cases, and the implementation by the State of that judgment, which is proving deeply unsatisfactory and is leaving many former pupils who were sexually abused without any form of redress. It is creating significant...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister has tried to pre-empt what I was going to say, which is fair enough, because as I said to him when we met privately, there is a narrow interpretation of the Louise O'Keeffe case. The Louise O'Keeffe case is about the State's failures in general in the education system with regard to inspection, supervision and child protection. There was a prior complaint in that particular...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: European Court of Human Rights Judgments (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: The Minister takes a different view on the Louise O'Keeffe case, but the view that I have expressed is shared by academics as well. In fact, my view is influenced by those academics and the authority they have. In some of these cases, there could not have been a prior complaint because some of the disgusting teachers who did this were straight out of college. In some cases, in some of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Admissions (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 28. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the work which needs to be carried out before he is ready to finalise a legislative proposal regarding the role of religion in school admissions. [31747/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: DEIS Administration (6 Jul 2017)

Thomas Byrne: 36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will confirm his commitment to keeping so-called legacy posts in place in DEIS schools in the most disadvantaged areas. [31745/17]