Results 4,921-4,940 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools by the National Council for Special Education in order to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending such schools. The policy of my Department in relation to the SNA scheme is set out in Circular 0030/2014, which also provides details regarding the role and duties of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 731 and 733 together. The main programme for food provision in primary and post primary schools is the School Meals Scheme. The operation of that scheme is an issue for the Minister for Social Protection. There are no plans for responsibility for food provision to schools to transfer to my Department. My Department's main responsibility in this area is to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Meetings (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have received correspondence from the Irish Heart Foundation which seeks a meeting to discuss issues relating to healthy eating in schools. I have asked my office to arrange a suitable date for such a meeting. Officials in my office will be in touch with the Irish Heart Foundation on this issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Meals Programme (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The main programme for food provision in primary and post primary schools is the School Meals Scheme. The operation of that scheme is an issue for the Minister for Social Protection. My Department's main responsibility in this area is to equip students with the key skills and knowledge to enable them to make informed and healthier choices in a range of areas, including nutrition. This is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be familiar with the moratorium on recruitment and promotions, in accordance with which no public service post, however arising, may be filled by recruitment, promotion or payment of an allowance for performance of duties at a higher grade. In that regard, the Department was granted a limited derogation from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform which allowed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Since September 2012 the combined resources available for learning support (General Allocation Model at Primary) and language support have been merged into a single simplified allocation process. The GAM/EAL arrangements for the 2015/16 school year are set out in Circular 0005/2015 and are based on a school's mainstream classroom posts for the 2014/15 school year. Appendix C of that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received an application from the school in question for improved accommodation. This application must be considered in the context of the general demographic need in the area. In this regard, my Department's Forward Planning Section is monitoring the demographic demand in the area and a new primary school was opened in Ballinteer in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: While our system of patronage has demonstrated a capacity to facilitate change and evolution, it is the case that the vast majority of primary schools are still under religious patronage. While recognising the role that denominational schools have played in welcoming children from diverse backgrounds and the continuing role for denominational schools, we have made changes to the patronage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households. The Student Grant Scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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 allocating resource teaching and Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support to schools to support children with special educational needs and additional care needs, respectively. The NCSE operates within my Department's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy was approved funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide one additional mainstream classroom, a SET room and my Department also provided a contribution toward the provision of a GP Room. As this project is on-going, information in relation to the level of funding provided is considered commercially sensitive.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Schools funded by my Department are intended to cater for children and young persons with special educational needs until the end of the school year in which they reach the age of 18. At that point, the Department of Health/Health Service Executive assumes direct responsibility for young adults with special educational needs who are over 18 years. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (16 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support enrolled in the school. Where children have significant care needs whereby...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Reports (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Report concerned, which I will make available on receipt, is currently being finalised. Any delay, I understand, is due to more up to date school demographic information being incorporated into the Report. As the Deputy may be aware, my Department is currently undertaking a nationwide demographic exercise to determine where additional post-primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The criteria by which SNA support is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To date, nine new primary schools have opened or are scheduled to open under the patronage divesting process. Discussions are continuing with the main Catholic patrons to identify areas where further new schools can open from 2016 onwards. The Cobh area will be included in these discussions.