Results 4,561-4,580 of 5,087 for speaker:Kathleen Funchion

Written Answers — Department of Health: General Practitioner Services (16 Jan 2018)

Kathleen Funchion: 1089. To ask the Minister for Health if it is within the remit of the medical board to prevent people from changing their general practitioner, or to place a freeze on transfers to or from a general practitioner surgery. [1903/18]

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I will very briefly speak on amendment No. 16. This amendment basically seeks to extend the protection currently awarded to staff under this section to students. We had a detailed discussion on this on Committee Stage and unfortunately our amendment was not agreed at that time so we are raising it again today. It is important to ensure that students are given the same protections. As I...

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I move amendment No. 6:In page 9, to delete lines 26 to 28 and substitute the following:" "students’ union" means an independent body established by students, with a written constitution ratified by students in a referendum to promote the general interests of students of an institute, merged institute or technological university, and which represents students, both individually and...

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: As I have experience of working in a trade union, I know we are not going to solve everything by an amendment or wording but it certainly gives greater protection to student unions. If this amendment is not passed, we will see universities and institutions nominating representative body "X", whoever that might be, and students would be then be forced to either accept it or have no...

Technological Universities Bill 2015: Report Stage (14 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: This issue arose on Committee Stage. It is an important one because historically, students have always been represented by their student union and it is really important that a student union has autonomy from the institution and the university. To me, it is very similar to a workplace situation where workers decide whether to join a trade union and have representation through that trade...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Payments (12 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 167. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason a school (details supplied) in County Mayo has not yet received its minor works grant; when the payment will issue; the way in which he plans to help small schools with teaching principals to deal with added administrative burdens; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52794/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (12 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 168. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when the GMIT working group report will be signed off; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52795/17]

Written Answers — Department of Children and Youth Affairs: Early Childhood Care and Education (12 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 479. To ask the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the assessment that was made in advance of the decision to remove the over age exemption for the ECCE scheme with respect to the impact this decision will have on children with special needs, their classmates and teachers; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [53067/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 42. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider a continuous assessment element of all leaving certificate exam subjects as part of the leaving certificate reform; and his plans to consider introducing a life-skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51803/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: My question relates to the current reform of the leaving certificate syllabus and if the Minister will consider a continuous assessment element for all leaving certificate exam subjects, and look at the possibility of introducing a life skills class alongside the new syllabus subjects.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Curriculum (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I have raised this issue because I believe that the current system is very unfair and inequitable. It is designed to be one size fits all. This is not the reality in the context of learning and education. Many Deputies will remember with dread the leaving certificate exam and the whole process around it. If we are considering reform of the leaving certificate programme we have an...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I understand that governance was an issue but I also understood that the ETBs had made a proposal to the Department to manage the school completion programme because some school completion programmes are currently managed by ETBs and work very well. That would have been a better model to look at rather than moving it to the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. What are the Minister's...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 38. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will reallocate the school completion programme back to the remit of his Department from the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs, specifically Tusla, due to its relevance to the education portfolio; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51804/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: This question concerns the school completion programme, which used to fall within the remit of the Department of Education and Skills but now falls within the remit of the Department of Children and Youth Affairs. I would like to see the scheme back in the education portfolio, and I think many people would agree because it is much more suited to that area. Can this be examined?

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): School Completion Programme (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I raise this matter because, as I said earlier, I am a huge advocate for the school completion programme. It is excellent. The general public probably does not know enough about it and all the good work it does because it is under the radar. That is what makes it so successful. While it is predominantly in DEIS schools, one does not have to be in a DEIS school to qualify for the school...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 36. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he is planning to address the current and potential teacher shortages in STEM subjects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [51902/17]

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: My question concerns STEM subjects and the current and potential teacher shortages in those subjects. I know that the Minister has many ambitious plans around these subjects, but there is clearly an issue with the amount of teachers available to teach them. I would like to hear his thoughts on the matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I want to make a suggestion on the matter. I welcome some of the suggestions, especially of increasing the number of female students taking STEM for the leaving certificate by 40%. However, we need to start at post-primary level, because nobody is going to teach chemistry, physics or the other subjects if they have not studied those subjects at secondary school level. We need to...

Ceisteanna - Questions (Resumed): Teacher Recruitment (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: I welcome that response. I have another suggestion which applies to the entirety of our education system and that concerns the whole idea of continuous assessment. Perhaps we can encourage students into these subjects by seeking to introduce a continuous assessment model. The subjects are quite difficult and are perhaps a bit more intimidating than other subjects. The idea of taking on...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Departmental Schemes (6 Dec 2017)

Kathleen Funchion: 30. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he plans to ensure schools and teachers are resourced to support children who are homeless across the school system; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [52197/17]