Results 481-500 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Measures (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Of the legislative provisions in respect of my Department that have been passed by the Oireachtas since 2011, Section 43 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 and Subsections 8(3) and 16(5) of the Student Support Act 2011 have not yet come into effect.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are currently 10 staff employed by Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board, comprising: - the Chief Executive Officer at Principal Officer level, - 1 Assistant Principal Officer level Post, - 2 Higher Executive Officer level posts, - 4 Executive Officer level posts and - 2 administrative support posts, one at ETB Grade III the other at Clerical Officer level. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand the programme in question is funded by the relevant Education and Training Board on the basis that the staff appointed by the centre running the programme are properly equipped to deliver all elements of the curriculum. It is a matter for the centre concerned to ensure that this is the case and their staff must be capable of teaching the programme to the standard required to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 209, 213 and 242 together. The College to which the Deputies refer is a private college and is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It does not receive core funding; however, my Department provides grant in lieu of tuition fee funding to the College in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. Funding of some...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Schemes (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available on a constituency by constituency basis. In Budget 2013 funding of €5million for three years was provided to support the establishment of book rental schemes in primary schools that did not operate such schemes. DEIS schools will receive €150 per child and non-DEIS schools will receive €100 per child in seed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the case of a teacher who is approaching maximum entitlement to paid sick leave under normal rules any period of pregnancy related sick leave may be discounted. In order to confirm that the absence was indeed pregnancy related, employers should seek the advice of Medmark who are the providers of the Occupational Health Service for teachers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Sick Pay Scheme Reform (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Following a review of sick leave arrangements, a new Public Service wide sick leave scheme has been introduced across the Public Service. The Public Service Management (Recruitment and Appointments) (Amendment) Act 2013, provided the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform with the power to make regulations that set out the specific details of the Public Service Sick Leave Scheme. These...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 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. Where children have significant care needs whereby they may need additional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The new specifications for all subjects in the new Junior Cycle will state a minimum time for the delivery of the subject. This will be 200 hours for science and other subjects apart from English, Irish and Maths. This is not a maximum or target time and is intended to give schools flexibility to plan a Junior Cycle Programme that will meet the educational needs of their students. Schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: There are 167 days in the school year at second level, not counting examination days. This works out at a total of 935.2 hours of class contact time per school year. It is left to the discretion of schools, as far as possible, to devise a junior cycle programme that incorporates different requirements and reflects the priorities of the school and its students. It would not be accurate to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Gaelscoileanna Issues (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department recently met with the Gaelscoil in question and conveyed approval for the commencement of a second junior infant class from September next. This decision took into account a detailed examination of existing and projected pupil enrolments in the area and also the demand for diversity of provision. The issue of the teaching resource required will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 222 and 250 together. Where schools are amalgamating there is a provision for the allocation of a concessionary mainstream teaching post in cases where the approved number of mainstream teachers serving in the schools at the time the amalgamation takes place exceeds the number of mainstream posts warranted by the total enrolment on the basis of the staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application relating to window replacement under the 2014 Summer Works Scheme. The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced details of the schools that will receive Summer Works Scheme funding in 2014 in respect of applications submitted for Categories 1 to 6 i.e. Gas, Electrical, Mechanical, Toilet Facilities and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Task Force is charged with assessing the scale of the issue and, in particular the number of genuine students who have not yet been accommodated. It will also determine what capacity is available in the sector to make accommodation for students and will oversee a system that seeks to make such accommodation. Jointly chaired by officials from the Department of Education and Skills and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. However my Department has issued a number of Circulars addressing this issue in recent years. Under these Circulars School...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health and Safety (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Day to day running of a school, including those with just one full time teacher, is a matter for the Board of Management of each school. Schools are required to take all reasonable precautions to ensure the safety of pupils and to participate in supervising pupils when the pupils are on the school premises, during school time and/or on school activities. The Health and Safety Authority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my officials have approved funding for equipment at the school to which he refers. Notification of this approval recently issued to the school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, my Department sanctioned a devolved grant to the school in question in March, 2012 to provide 8 permanent mainstream classrooms. The building project, when completed, will replace 4 classrooms which were located in prefabs, replace 2 small classrooms with modern facilities and provide 2 additional classrooms to cater for future growth. Limerick and Clare ETB are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that I recently met with the school authorities that are involved in the proposed post primary school amalgamation building project. In that regard, the schools concerned acknowledged the steps being taken by my Department to acquire a site for the development of a building for the new amalgamated school. The Deputy is aware that the religious congregation that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Issues (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government agreed in principle to my bringing forward legislative proposals to allow for the retention of the records of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, the Residential Institutions Redress Board and the Residential Institutions Review Committee. These proposals will include amendments to existing legislation where necessary. It is intended that the records will be retained...