Results 4,581-4,600 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I commend the Department on the literacy and numeracy strategy, which has been a success. Recent reports indicate that we are seeing an improvement in that area. This is money well spent, but how much is being provided for next year in terms of rolling out that strategy? Also, the evaluation of DEIS schools is due to be completed and reported to the Department this year. If the...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I will come back to that later, so.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I have another question. I suppose we cannot move away from this programme without talking about junior cycle reform. We are looking at the roll-out of the science programme in 2015 and there is obviously a funding issue in that regard. I know money has been set aside by the Department for the roll-out of junior cycle reform. Does the Minister want to make a general comment on the current...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Is the Minister saying that in order to progress this issue, the teaching unions must accept the Travers recommendations?
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Obviously, this whole area has been completely transformed in recent years. We have seen some progressive legislation in terms of the establishment of SOLAS and the ETBs by the Minister of State's predecessor. I do not expect to see the benefits of those three pieces of legislation to establish QQI, the education and training boards and SOLAS for a number of years. There is no doubt it was...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: That is slightly up on 2014 figures when there were 71,000 in training. I would appreciate an update on the implementation of that strategy. Perhaps he would speak about each of the individual programmes such as MOMENTUM, Skillnets and Springboard and the targets for those schemes in 2015?
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: The issue of apprenticeships is one I have raised previously with the Minister of State on Question Time. It is critical that the new apprenticeship model is not just for a particular skill. For example, when the construction industry went bust, the workers' skills could not be transferred directly. Therefore, when developing a new apprenticeship model it must be geared towards the...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Is there to be an increase?
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: The proposed technological universities are quickly becoming a disaster area. I think the Department is taking a hands-off approach. I know the Higher Education Authority is the body responsible for overseeing and implementing that policy, but the proposal in regard to Carlow Institute of Technology is pretty much dead in the water. I do not think it will happen. There is growing...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: There was a briefing on Monday between the governing bodies and Oireachtas Members. If the Minister speaks to any of the Oireachtas Members who were present, it is very clear from what was said at that meeting that it is becoming increasingly unlikely that it will progress any further.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Is it true to say that one of the flaws in the process was that there was no independent person? If an independent person said that this could be achieved in a certain number of years, that would counter some of the arguments from the institutions that the length of time required to make it happen would be to the detriment of their institutions.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I agree.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I agree.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: There are also those who think that if the merger did not progress in the south east, one of the institutes could go ahead and secure technological university status as a single body. I know the proposed legislation to establish a technological university is based on a merged entity. It should be made very clear that to gain technological university status, it is on the basis of a merged entity.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I think the fact that the legislation has not been published-----
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Is it possible for the Minister to comment on the Munster technological university?
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: That is not happening.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: The projected cost is €6.7 million. Nobody can ascertain how that €6.7 million will be put in place. The only thing we have from the governing bodies is that it will be achieved through efficiencies in their budgets. Nobody knows what the efficiencies are, and nobody has outlined what they are. A staff member who hears about efficiencies and rationalisation will start to...
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: I have a general question on capital. I am trying to ascertain the figure for what was spent on emergency applications for capital works last year.
- Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015) Jonathan O'Brien: Is that what was budgeted for or what we-----