Results 4,941-4,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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 Accommodation (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy has been allocated funding under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide a new two classroom stand-alone extension. The school management authority has recently submitted a request of additional funding to link the new extension to the existing school building and this request is currently being considered and the school authority will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Secondment (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is Department policy to apply alleviations to meet the business needs of each of the support services, for example, to provide for continuity in management, planning and leadership and retention of expertise. The nature of the CPD provision and the phase of delivery in respect of each individual support service is also taken into account. Alleviations do not apply exclusively to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Funding (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: This is an operational matter for SOLAS and I have asked SOLAS to reply directly to the Deputy with the information requested.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (11 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: State Examinations (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am aware that concerns have been raised by students about the content of the ordinary level Leaving Certificate Mathematics paper 1. I have asked the State Examinations Commission to bring these concerns to the attention of the Chief Examiner for the examination. Commentary and correspondence on the examination from teachers, professional bodies and other interested parties is considered...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy, that since 2010, my Department has been working with the school in grant aiding both improved and additional accommodation. More recently and in conjunction with the school, a further extension is currently being planned. When completed, the school will have sufficient accommodation to operate as an 8 classroom school and the school has expressed its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Officials in my Department have confirmed that the student referred to by the Deputy has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal was received by the Board on 25 April 2015 and will be heard within the timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011. The Board will notify the student directly of the outcome of the appeal.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (11 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The project to provide permanent accommodation for the school to which the Deputy refers is currently at Stage 2a (Developed Design) of the architectural planning process. A tender exercise for a replacement Consultant Mechanical & Electrical Engineer became necessary in order to complete the Stage 2(a) design. This tender exercise is currently concluding and when the new...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the Galway situation, I have made my concerns very clear regarding the shortcomings identified by the Equality Tribunal, specifically in the case of Dr. Sheehy Skeffington. The fact that NUI Galway unreservedly accepted this and established a task force is to be welcomed. I have again stated clearly that the task force needs to have the confidence of people in NUI Galway and the body of...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To clarify, it is the terms of reference of the HEA review to which I referred when I stated I had not seen them. I have a list of what they will have regard to, including the statutory obligations; the obligations of universities and institutes of technology to prepare and implement equality policies; the complete self-evaluation questionnaires that will be submitted; site visits, which are...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy was asking me about the task force. I am aware of the terms of reference of the task force.

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Where parents of children who are eligible for home tuition have sought alternative arrangements to be put in place for the tuition, the Department has responded by putting arrangements in place with six private preschool providers which provide group tuition to children in a class-type setting. Each of these providers was selected by the parents. The Department will consider similar...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: We do not have any contracts. It is essentially the parents who choose the provider, and the arrangement is made between the parents or the group of parents and the provider. One organisation was agreed on back in 2008 and the rate was calculated on the basis of a collective rate for each group of six children, for whom the Department pays a sum equivalent to 48 hours calculated at the...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Recommendations have been made on special education and changing to a new model. I am not sure whether this is what the Deputy is asking about. We have decided that we do not have enough information, particularly on complex needs, to introduce the new model in September but we will introduce pilots of the model in September. I announced some variation, particularly on hours for children...

Other Questions: Gender Equality (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The HEA has recently initiated a system-wide review of higher education institutions' gender profiles and gender equality policies which will encompass all higher education institutions under its remit. The review will analyse the status quoin higher education in respect of gender equality, examine the reasons for continuing gender inequality among staff across the sector and make...

Other Questions: Early School Leavers (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy may be aware of a report from last February showing that of students who started post-primary school in 2008 almost 97% sat the junior certificate and more than 90% sat the leaving certificate. Ireland's upper secondary retention rates compare favourably with other EU member states. In Ireland we have a broad and balanced model of education which seeks not to compartmentalise...

Other Questions: Early School Leavers (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As indicated in the response of the Minister of State, Deputy English, we are looking seriously at widening the whole concept of apprenticeships and providing that alternative path for students as a real career opportunity and we are encouraging parents to see that as an absolutely viable and equal alternative. We do not favour children setting out on that path at too early an age. Some 97%...

Other Questions: Early School Leavers (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will be very brief.

Other Questions: Early School Leavers (10 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I do not disagree with Deputy Fleming on any of those matters. He is right about languages and so on. I differ with the Deputy, however, on the age at which young people should start in the workplace. We are learning from Germany and Austria and we want to follow their models with regard to having many more apprenticeship opportunities-----