Results 4,721-4,740 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The International School of Martyrs (ISM) is a private educational institution located in Tripoli, Libya. Teachers working at ISM are directly recruited and engaged as employees of that school. Their terms and conditions are private contractual matters between themselves and the school authorities. My Department has no role in relation to internal management or contractual issues between the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that officials from my Department recently met with the school Principal referred to in his question, in order to discuss issues which he has raised in relation to staffing for educational provision at the Child and Adolescent Mental Health (CAMH) at which he is located. Consideration of the educational staffing arrangements which should be provided in CAMHs units...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the applicant referred to by the Deputy was issued with a decision on the 15/5/2013 advising her that she was deemed ineligible to receive a grant. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a student grant, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the appeals officer in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 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, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for funding at post-graduate level. To determine eligibility, a student may submit a fully completed online grant application to SUSI, via studentfinance.ie. Those who meet the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Fee Paying Schools (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The salaries of teachers employed within the approved annual staffing allocation for fee charging schools by my Department are paid by the State; an arrangement that pre-dates the introduction of the Free Education scheme and which exists since the foundation of the State. The estimated cost of these posts is in the order of €100 million. The Deputy will be aware that in the context of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Major Building Project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Stage 2b of the project, which includes Planning Permission, Fire Certification, Disability Access Certification (DAC) and the preparation of tender documents has been approved. The project was recently authorised to pre-qualify for contractors, which will complete the Stage 2b process. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The pensions of some retired public servants, including some teachers, are coordinated with social welfare benefits where the pensioner had paid full rate Class A PRSI during some or all of his/her employment. Class A rate PRSI payment brings with it an entitlement to a state pension payable by the Department of Social Protection. The State pension becomes payable at age 65. As some public...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that, as at close of business on 26 May 2013, it has received 69,647 student grant applications. Of these 69,100 have been processed to completion. The final 547 cases, most of which are awaiting final elements of documentation from students, are expected to be closed out in the coming week.

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, which is funded by my Department, plays a key role in advising on future skills needs and any emerging gaps. Its research provides a valuable input to the development of course curricula and has also informed the development of new competitive funding models of provision to address emerging skills needs, including Springboard, Momentum and the ICT...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for the allocation of classroom teachers to all primary schools. It operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. My Department publishes annual statistics on class size data for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of the extremely challenging economic environment that forms the backdrop to all decisions relating to the public finances. While this Government has undertaken to protect education spending as much as possible, we are not operating in a vacuum and efforts to secure savings have had to be made in the education sector also. The 2013 gross Voted expenditure allocation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware the Further Education and Training Bill is currently going through both Houses of the Oireachtas. Once enacted, the legislation will provide for the disbandment of FAS and for the establishment of SOLAS. The Bill has passed Committee Stage and the Report Stage is expected to commence in the near future. In the meantime FAS will continue to provide up-skilling and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take questions 287 and 288 together. The current status of all projects, including those in County Kildare, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie and this will be updated regularly throughout the year. The 5 Year Construction Plan that I announced in March 2012, together with my announcement last December of the 50 school projects which are scheduled for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in my Department as individual school management authorities are not required to report incidents of bullying to my Department. As the Deputy is probably aware, on 29th of January last, Minister Fitzgerald and I published the Action Plan on Bullying which sets out twelve actions to help prevent and tackle bullying in primary and second...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including SNA support. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such supports and the staffing...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Government has protected frontline services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget and there will no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools and in free second level schools for the 2013/14 school year as a result of the budget. The DEIS scheme for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a...

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

Ruairi Quinn: My attention has been drawn to the concerns of the authorities of the smaller, rural denominational schools regarding their future. Our current configuration of small primary schools has been examined by my Department in a value for money review. I have recently received the report of this review and I am currently considering it. I will, of course, also consult my Government colleagues in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for cost neutral early retirement pension benefit statement has been received from the person to whom the Deputy refers and is being addressed by officials in the Pension Unit of my Department. The information will be issued shortly to the person to whom the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youth Unemployment Measures (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Laureate Summit on Youth and Jobs was held on 20 May in Madrid. The event was organised by Laureate International Universities, and included a number of speakers including His Royal Highness the Prince of Asturias, former US President Bill Clinton, Government Ministers from Germany, Cyprus and Spain and representatives of enterprise, education and students. I participated with the other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (28 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the residency requirement of the Student Grant Scheme, a student must have been legally resident in Ireland for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately prior to commencing an approved course in an approved institution. However, a student may qualify for a grant, having met the residency requirement during the course of their studies. Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the...