Results 4,601-4,620 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: The July education programme provides funding for an extended school year for children with autism and children with a severe or profound general learning disability. The programme is available to all special and mainstream primary schools that have special classes catering for eligible pupils. Where school-based provision is not available, ten hours per week of home-based provision may be...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I sought an additional briefing from one of my civil servants because, like the Deputy, I wanted to ensure that I understood accurately the reply that I had read. In my own words, I was told that there was never an automatic one-to-one entitlement. In many cases, an application was made on behalf of one child. The euphemism in the documentation reads, "In previous years, the application...

Other Questions: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48, 59 and 76 together. Universities and institutes of technology are autonomous statutory bodies and the recruitment of students and the establishment of admissions criteria are matters for the individual institutions concerned. The institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications for admission to first year undergraduate courses,...

Other Questions: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As I am sure the Deputy is aware, the Central Applications Office, CAO, is a private entity - a limited company - owned jointly by the seven universities, which set both the policy and the standards that apply. I understand that approaching 40 colleges and other third level institutions now avail of the CAO facility. A recently published strategy document indicates that it is hoped to...

Other Questions: School Funding (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The funding crisis is not in confined to our schools. It affects every part of the country and its impact is a direct legacy of Governments which were dominated by Deputy McConalogue's party. The gap between what the country is spending and earning is €12 billion. No one is immune from the Government's efforts to close this gap and, sadly, these include a reduction of resources in a...

Other Questions: School Funding (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not have any apology to make for my role in the previous election campaign or my conduct in this House, both as an Opposition spokesperson or as a Minister in previous Governments. None of the parties, including the Labour Party, secured a majority in the previous election. We had a national crisis two and a half years ago. In functioning democracies, at least those whose survival is...

Other Questions: School Funding (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has not carried out an assessment of the indebtedness or otherwise of primary schools. The finances of recognised primary schools are a matter for the boards of management of these schools. Boards should budget in such a way as to enable them to meet their commitments and their expenditure should not exceed their income. Overdrafts or other forms of debt or excesses of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: At the launch of the NCSE report I met one of the representatives for people with Down's syndrome. They have lobbied the Oireachtas very professionally and comprehensively and I gave an undertaking to meet them. I am also awaiting advice from the NCSE on how Down's syndrome is to be treated within this broader context. On the second question, I gave an undertaking that I would ring-fence...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Traveller Community Issues (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy tabled a specific question, which I have attempted to answer, concerning a statistic that was given and which is disputed, but that is another matter. The reductions in supports for Travellers were taken by the previous Government but they were maintained by this Government, so I am not trying to blame any of my predecessors. I do not think the issue of mainstreaming is disputed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Traveller Community Issues (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: If the Deputy could bring those particular details to my personal attention, I will have a direct inquiry made and will get back to her and the other Deputies in the constituency.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education's report on Supporting Children with Special Educational Needs in Schools makes clear that there are many aspects of the current system with which parents and schools are very happy. We should recognise that at the outset. However, the NCSE also considers that there are concerns in relation to some aspects of our current system, under the headings...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his comments. He is right to recognise the fact that a lot of progress was made in this area by previous Governments, of which his party was the dominant partner. It is 20 years since we had the first allocation model for special needs education and how it can be broken down. The world has learned a lot more, not just in Ireland but across the globe, particularly in...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Reform (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can give a positive answer to the first request as it will be better this year. I will not publish any document because I do not have a document. I was briefed by officials working in extremely difficult circumstances because like everybody else, their income has been reduced and their workload has been increased. I am not looking for people to scapegoat. I am the person to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand Deputy O'Brien is otherwise engaged and I welcome Deputy Ó Snodaigh in his place. The home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for specified reasons, are unable to attend school or for whom a school placement or preschool placement is not available. It is generally the case that the tuition is...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his supplementary question. I can confirm the proposal is with regard to the PALS preschool group in Blanchardstown. Discussions have taken place on remuneration and allocation of fees and I am happy to tell the House and Deputy a fee structure has been proposed by the provider and it is acceptable to the Department, and letters to this effect will issue to all concerned.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Traveller Community Issues (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The report and recommendations for a Traveller education strategy, published in 2006, recommended that the principle of inclusion be the guiding principle and that segregated provision for Travellers should be either reduced or eliminated. In line with this strategy a number of Traveller-specific programmes have been phased out. The reference to an 86.6% reduction in the recent report...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Reform (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his questions. The Department had no experience of administering the grant system and from day one, there were 66 different bodies involved, with the county councils on one hand and vocational educational committees on the other. We did not get a centralised reporting mechanism back to the Department to indicate which counties were doing well, although there were...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Reform (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The City of Dublin VEC commissioned an external review of Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, to identify the causes of the processing difficulties experienced in 2012 and to set out a specific programme of action to address them. The review contains a series of recommendations, many of which are already being implemented by SUSI. In line with these recommendations and in preparation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Reform (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Following completion of the Landscape process initiated by the HEA in 2012, I recently received the formal advice from the Authority on the re-configuration of the higher education system, including proposals for inter-institutional collaboration and system governance. I have discussed the advice with my colleagues in Government this morning and I will be publishing this advice and formally...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has no budgetary provision for dealing with requests from schools for additional career guidance allocations nor are such requests generally made by schools. As part of existing arrangements short-term support is provided to schools that are dealing with particularly acute incidents that arise due to tragic accidents, bereavements etc. Short term support has been allocated to 5...