Results 4,421-4,440 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his comments. I received the NCSE's report in the middle of May. Deputy Cannon, the officials in the Department and I are looking at the 28 recommendations the NCSE proposed. I have not yet received from within the Department a recommended response. The NSCE has proposed changes in the way resources are allocated to ensure that each student with special educational...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I will give a brief reply and come back to the Deputy in writing if required. The increase from €8.152 billion to €8.453 billion is an increase in gross expenditure generated by the increase in population. We still have to get the savings that are set out below that.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We are working with a format that is slightly different to that which previously obtained. If the Deputies on the other side of the table feel somewhat confused, I assure them that they are not alone. We want to co-operate with them and if there are queries which we are not in a position to answer today, we will reply to them in writing at a later date. On Deputy McConalogue's question...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The full amount of the savings expected for 2014 in this regard is €11.5 million. We have no reason to believe that these will not be achieved. As the Deputy quite rightly pointed out, some of the schools lodged appeals. The pupil-teacher ratio is based on the number of children who are in the system, which, depending on the number of applications for places, can vary from year to year.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a gross saving. This is because the vast majority of those teachers are permanent and would be redeployed.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We could try to obtain that for the Deputy. However, given that the population is increasing, extra teachers will be needed. This means that the teachers in question will be redeployed. It also means that newly-qualified teachers would otherwise be obliged to wait until the former are redeployed before taking up employment. I will come back to the Deputy on how redeployment actually...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There are two possible explanations. The first of these is that the school involved may have appealed.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Vote 27 - Education and Skills (Revised) (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As requested, I will keep this opening statement short. The net voted sum proposed by the Department for 2013 is €7,926.9 million, made up of current expenditure of €7,514.4 million and capital expenditure of €412.5 million. The Department has supplied briefing material on the 2013 Estimate, which members will have received. The document is in a new format and seeks to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school building project referred to was included in the €50 million investment in new school building projects recently announced as part of the Government's "Investing in Infrastructure & Jobs" Package. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning with the design team currently working on the completion of stage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of Special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2013/2014 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0013/2013) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (13 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 25th February, 2013 advising him that he was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. SUSI also confirmed that to date they have received no appeal from the applicant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, on 10th June 2013 I announced a further initiative to replace prefab units in schools with permanent accommodation. A total of €15 million has been allocated in 2013/14 to replace prefabs and provide permanent classrooms and resource rooms for some 2,650 students. Schools being considered under this scheme, including the schools referred to by the Deputy, have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been authorised to proceed to Stage 2(b) which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of tender documents. The project is listed on the five year school building programme to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. In May 2013, the Department authorised the project to proceed to Stage 2b which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of tender documents. The project is listed on the five year school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been authorised to proceed to Stage 2(b) - Detailed Design which involves securing planning permission, fire certificate and disability access certificate and the completion of tender documents. When the relevant statutory approvals have been obtained and stage 2b...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the Five Year Construction Plan, that I announced on 9 March 2012, outlines the major school projects that will commence construction over the duration of the Plan. The primary aim at the core of the Plan is focussed on meeting demographic demands to ensure that every child will have access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the school building project referred to was included in the €50 million investment in new school building projects recently announced as part of the Government's "Investing in Infrastructure & Jobs" Package. The project is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Officials from the School Building Unit of my Department will shortly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (13 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for compensation for loss of hours from the person referred to by the Deputy was received by my Department on 6th December 2012. Applications are processed in date order of receipt and every effort is being made to process these applications as quickly as possible. It is expected that the person referred to by the Deputy will receive payment in August 2013.

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: State Examinations Issues (12 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the two Senators again for raising this matter in the Seanad. I will bring the details of this debate directly to the attention of the chairman and the chief executive of the SEC. I will also ask them to indicate the steps they propose to take to make sure that the concerns expressed about the errors in the mathematics paper in particular, in addition to the other errors, can be...