Results 4,781-4,800 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, in June of 2011, I announced that 20 new primary schools and 20 new post primary schools are to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations to cater for increasing demographics. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish any new schools in the area referred to by the Deputy. My Department will continue to monitor enrolments in all areas,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Applications for patronage of the new post primary schools to be established in 2015 and 2016 are currently being sought by my Department from prospective patrons. Details of the arrangements for patronage of new schools and the criteria for deciding on patronage for them are available on my Department's website, www.education.ie. The arrangements in question will apply to all prospective...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, the HEA was requested to prepare a plan on how to implement the recommendations made by an international panel of experts on possible new structures to improve initial teacher education in Ireland, and to consult with the relevant colleges in doing so. This process is ongoing and the HEA provide me with progress reports on the matter from time to time. As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In the past four years, the contractor's obligation to complete the works was terminated on ten major school building projects. The difficulties encountered on nine of these projects related to contractor insolvencies. The termination of the contractor's obligation to complete the works on the tenth project was due to the contractor's default. There was a bond in place for each of the ten...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Contractors (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: In the past 4 years, in the vast majority of cases where a contractor failed to complete a major school building project this was due to insolvency issues; the contractors in question ceased to trade. Only one termination was due to issues not related to insolvency. The contractor in question has not been successful in any tender competitions for major school building contracts since the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (21 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, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. SNAs are allocated to schools in order to provide for the care...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Travel (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The following table sets out the relevant details of payments made by this Department in respect of both Foreign and Domestic Travel and Subsistence to each Minister, Minister of State and Secretary General in the period 2005 to March 2011, as requested by the Deputy. Foreign and Domestic Travel & Subsistence payments made to Department of Education & Skills Ministers,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Staff (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The following table sets out the details staff appointed by each Minister and Minister of State of this Department and associated relevant costs, including Travel and Subsistence payments made in each year, in the period 2005 to March 2011, as requested by the Deputy. Domestic Travel & Subsistence 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010  March 2011  Minister Many Hanafin...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. In October 2012, the Department authorised the project to proceed to Stage 2b which includes applications for Planning Permission, Fire Safety Certificate, Disability Access Certificate and the preparation of tender documents. Due to competing demands on the Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (21 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Community Issues (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I have noted the comments of the Children's Rights Alliance in its Report Card 2013 in relation to children who are members of the Travelling Community. I understand that although the Children's Rights Alliance consulted with other groups on the content of the Report Card relating to Traveller children, it did not consult with my Department in relation to developments concerning Traveller...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. As part of the Budget 2012 decisions, the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in small primary schools is being gradually increased between September 2012 and September 2014. During...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Inspections (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 328 and 329 together. In 2012 my Department spent €11.635m on the Department's School Inspectorate Division comprising of €10.64m on salary costs, €0.84m on travel and subsistence and €155,000 on training and development. The following tabular statement gives details of the current staffing cohort at the Inspectorate together with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Academic Year (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Individual higher education institutions have autonomous responsibility for the management of their academic programmes and staff resources. As far as my Department is aware neither Universities nor Institutes of Technology are planning to increase the academic year to a third semester and therefore no estimate is available of any potential savings that might be accrued from implementing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not available. However, public sector numbers returns are made on a quarterly basis. As at 31 March 2013 (end Q1 2013) there were 93,624 whole-time equivalent staff employed in the Education sector. This figure includes civil servants and staff employed in NCSAs (Non commercial state agencies) that come under the aegis of the Department of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, under the terms of my Department's free fees schemes the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study as set out in the schemes. My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA institutions. The HEA allocates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Schemes (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, Ireland's second National Energy Efficiency Action plan (NEEAP) was published by the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources earlier this year. The Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources (DCENR) has responsibility for overall implementation of the plan and chairs the Cross-Departmental group tasked with ensuring that all the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Remuneration (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There are no officials on the payroll at my Department or FÁS that are in receipt of an annual take home salary that exceeds €100,000.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff Remuneration (21 May 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The specific information requested by the Deputy is not collected by my Department. However, the following table includes details of the number of staff who come under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills with whole-time equivalent earnings of €100,000 and above. Whole-time equivalent Salary Ranges € Number of whole-time equivalent staff €100,001 -...