Results 4,541-4,560 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (11 Jun 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a third-level admissions scheme for students with a disability. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. The Deputy may wish to contact the Irish Universities Association in this instance. Further details in...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I agree with the Senator, but the legacy is of junior and senior infant classes at INTO rates of pay. That is the cost factor, to cut to the chase. I have just come back from a new school where there was capacity, and there is a not-for-profit pre-school in it. It is facilitating parents and it works. I would like to see co-operation on the history curriculum. We should get away from...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Is this the cross-Border strategy?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: What numbers would Deputy Smith consider substantial?

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I welcome Pat Doherty. We go back a bit in time. The joint survey to which he refers was an initiative proposed by my Northern counterpart, Mr. John O'Dowd, MLA, and it responds to some of the matters about which Deputy Smith asked. There was an initial resistance from the Unionist side in Northern Ireland to it but I fully supported it. We undertook a survey of parents on either side of...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The intention is to have six clusters or six coming together.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Chairman should try to ensure my answers are short, as I have a tendency to go on a bit. To answer Deputy Kitt's question, we do not expect that there will be a gap. Some teacher unions have complained about the number who are qualifying as teachers or applying to undertake a transfer degree course. For example, someone with an arts degree can apply to take the conversion course to...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It was a long way back. On Deputy Frank Feighan's question about the area-based initiative, I am not entirely sure and must revert to him to ensure greater clarity. While there is an application process, I do not have the details to hand, but I will forward them to him. On the reference to inclusive schools and the reason for the enrolment policy measures I have discussed, we have...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on the Implementation of the Good Friday Agreement: Exploring Education and Overcoming Social Disconnection: Discussion with Minister for Education and Skills (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank Chairman and committee members. I will speak to the paper I have prepared, which has been circulated, and go down through the headings rather than read it formally into the record, but I presume it can be taken as being read formally into the record. The first issue is literacy and numeracy. In 2009, this State got a wake up call in regard to our presumption that we had one of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: FÁS Training Programmes (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Persons who are unemployed but, not in receipt of a social protection payment are generally eligible to take part in FÁS training courses. However, only those who were receiving a social protection payment prior to commencing training may be eligible to receive a FÁS training allowance while undertaking a course. I am informed by FÁS that the individual in question commenced...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (30 May 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: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grant scheme does not extend to postgraduate courses pursued outside of Ireland. Tax relief at the standard rate of tax may be claimed in respect of tuition fees paid for approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU Member States and in non-EU countries. Further information on this tax relief is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: A new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (2014-2019) is currently being prepared by the National Access Office for my Department. The findings of the School Completers - Whats Next report will be considered in the context of this new Access Plan.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for the special rate of maintenance grant. However, the qualifying criteria for the special rate of maintenance grant in the 2012/13 academic year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 93 together. My Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure that this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Public Service Transformation Plan, which was published by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform in November 2011, Payable Orders will be abolished as a method of payment from August 2013. This decision is being implemented by all Government Departments. Hereafter pensions will be paid by Electronic Funds Transfer only. In order to ensure continued payment of pension...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As I said at the NAPD conference last year, at national level the NAPD has shown great leadership in helping to formulate education policy. At local level NAPD members show great leadership in the running of our schools, day in, day out. I am therefore very disappointed that Facebook has indicated that they will not engage directly with the NAPD and facilitate a meeting with them....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am very conscious that the cost of textbooks is a considerable burden on families. Since becoming Minister for Education and Skills, I have attempted to take steps to reduce the burden on families. Shortly after coming into office I met with members of the Irish Educational Publishers' Association and impressed on them the need to limit the cost of textbooks. I have also stressed to them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: All arrears due to the teacher will issue on 13th June 2013. A letter has been sent directly to the person in question setting out her service history, registration details and appointment status.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (30 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the attached table which has been extracted from the Databank maintained by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. The Databank can be accessed at . The figures reflected in the databank detail all current and capital spending by Government Departments and agencies, along with expenditure from the Social Insurance Fund and the...