Results 4,581-4,600 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides for a continuum of special educational provision to be made available for children with special educational needs, so that regardless of the level of need of the child, educational provision can be made for them. My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools which have enrolled pupils with special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. Pupils with Down syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in primary schools, either under the terms...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Proposed Legislation (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, I announced at the Easter Teacher Union Conferences that I will shortly bring to Government draft heads of a bill – the Education (Admission to School) Bill 2013. Work on the draft legislative proposals is largely completed and the proposals are being legally proofed at present. When this process is completed I intend to bring the proposals to Cabinet. I will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) including provision for the establishment of special classes for Specific Speech and Language Disorder in primary schools. Applications to establish such classes are considered by the school's assigned Special Educational Needs Organiser (SENO)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: European Council Meetings (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Council formation in which I participate is the Education, Youth, Culture and Sport (EYCS) Council. Since the start of the Irish Presidency on 1 January, there have been two meetings of the Education component of this Council formation: 15 February and 16 May. I attended as President of the Council at both meetings.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Parliamentary Questions Numbers (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy had 28 questions answered by this Department between January to May 2013. There was no additional information to be forwarded to the Deputy in relation to any of these questions.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 107 and 110 together. The major building project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of Architectural Planning. The Board of Management and their Design Team have recently been authorised to proceed to complete Stage 2A of Architectural Planning, which is the Developed Sketch Design Stage. Due to competing demands on my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 108 and 109 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: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: An appeal from the person in respect of whom details were supplied by the Deputy was received in my Department on 23 April 2013 and is due for consideration by the Independent Student Grants Appeals Board on 11 June 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Remuneration (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There are currently 10 people in the Education sector who are earning in excess of €200,000 and who are not academic medical consultants, four of whom are Heads of Universities. The remainder are appointments made in accordance with a framework agreed between the Irish Universities Association and the Higher Education Authority which allows for a departure from approved levels of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (29 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that officials from my Department have been working closely for some time now with officials from Wicklow County Council in relation to acquiring a suitable site for the delivery of school accommodation in the area referred to by him. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that agreement in principle, subject to contract, has been reached in relation to a suitable site...

Other Questions: Student Grant Scheme Payments (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The policy basis which informs my Department's education and training provision includes the National Skills Strategy, the Strategy for Science Technology and Innovation, the Report of the Task Force on Innovation, the National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030, the Action Plan for Jobs and Pathways to Work. In addition to the wide range of cross-cutting policy structures and forums for...

Other Questions: Student Grant Scheme Payments (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I beg the Leas-Cheann Comhairle's pardon. My apologies to the House. I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, that, as at close of business on 30 December 2012, some 26,419 applications had been awarded or provisionally awarded. Of these, some 19,779 students were paid maintenance or had their entitlement to fees confirmed - where they were awarded a fees-only grant. ...

Other Questions: Student Grant Scheme Payments (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We will have a much better experience this year in the operation of the SUSI organisation. We all have learnt from the challenges that were posed during the course of last year. We have now got the assent from the Data Protection Commissioner and others to share information between different Government agencies which will speed up the process more effectively. I will keep a close...

Other Questions: Student Grant Scheme Payments (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank Deputy Ó Snodaigh. SUSI is bringing forward its timetable of operations. It is intended that SUSI will open for business sooner. In fact, I understand, subject to confirmation, a website is going live tomorrow and that SUSI would hope that 1 August, rather than 31 August, will be the closing date for applications so that students will have applied and submitted their...

Other Questions: Official Engagements (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The tradition introduced by previous Fianna Fáil Ministers of spending up to two days per week visiting schools and reporting back to look for special exemptions and favours created a sort of 18th century acceptance of patronage that did nothing for the welfare of this republic. The reforms I and the Ministers of State are introducing are better for everyone. I accept that visiting...

Other Questions: Official Engagements (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputies for their comments. Getting the balance right is necessary. I can now visit more schools than was the case a year or two ago. I accept Deputy Finian McGrath's remarks but the practice in the past had given rise to unrealisable and unfair expectations. I wanted to break that practice and change it. I accept that teachers and school communities, as I mentioned in a...

Other Questions: Official Engagements (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: To date in 2013, I have visited 21 schools throughout the country, 13 primary schools and eight post-primary schools.

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department will do whatever it can to facilitate families where home tuition is necessary. As I indicated in reply to a previous question, in Blanchardstown resources are being pooled to get a school environment delivery. An appeals mechanism exists. Parents with three or more children, all of whom require special home tuition for whatever reason, who are not satisfied with the current...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Of course I share the concern outlined by the Deputy. That is why every decision we make is carefully analysed as best we can given the wide diversity in circumstances. As I indicated before Deputy McGrath entered the Chamber, reconciling the situation is a challenge we face on a continual basis. It is clear Deputy McConalogue has detailed knowledge of an individual case, which I do not...