Results 4,981-5,000 of 40,550 for speaker:Joan Burton

Ceisteanna – Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: Not the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: The Taoiseach has told us time out of number that his position in the negotiations is one of 27. What people have been trying to convey to the Taoiseach for several months is this position is inadequate. The consensus is there needs to be a distinctive position regarding the island of Ireland in all its complexity and in the context of the Belfast Agreement being an international agreement...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: That is not satisfactory for people on the island of Ireland.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Taoiseach's Meetings and Engagements (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: That was my job.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: I represent many tens of thousands of people who work in Dublin Airport, which is one of the most vital engines of the Irish economy. Any breach or lapse of security at the airport has to an issue of the utmost seriousness for the Government. Dublin Airport is vital to our national economy. If we become seen as a soft touch in terms of abuse, it will be very damaging to us at a time when...

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: We have raised this issue many times in the past year and a half. The Taoiseach will recall that when the Labour Party was in office, we discussed this issue as a Government. It is important to understand that people-smuggling is one of the most evil things on the planet. It often involves younger people and women, in particular, being smuggled and ending up in prostitution.

Ceisteanna – Questions: Cabinet Committee Meetings (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: They often end up in completely illegal situations over a long period of years. The vast debts they owe to the people-smugglers often carry on through families. If the Garda National Investigation Bureau has been doing more work on this issue as a consequence of the civilianisation of the airport, I welcome that. An immediate high-level inquiry is needed to ensure that what has happened in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 178. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has read the USI position paper on the funding of higher education regarding the effects a loan scheme would have on students; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2981/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Reviews (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 179. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide a progress report on junior certificate syllabus, subject and assessment reforms and his key priorities in this regard for 2017 and 2018; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2982/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 180. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the uptake in the number of apprenticeships by females; if his Department has proposals to address the issue; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2983/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 181. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reduce class sizes and build on the measures to reduce class sizes in previous budgets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2984/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 184. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the primary and post-primary average class size figures for Ireland and for other EU member states; his plans to tackle large class size concerns; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2987/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 202. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will consider further improvements in the pupil-teacher ratio to help reduce the class size towards EU average in budget 2017; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3006/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 182. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he plans to progress the three areas in the education sector that he has identified as his core priority areas of focus in the sector, including helping children with special needs, supporting schools and building a stronger bridge between education and the workplace; the reason he has prioritised these three areas; and if he...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 183. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to reform the model of leadership in schools; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [2986/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 185. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if there are remaining sections of the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 to be commenced; the timeframe for commencing such sections; and the number of fitness to teach complaints received and processed to date since he commenced these provisions in July 2016. [2988/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 199. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills his plans and the timeframe in respect of complementing the fitness to teach provisions of the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [3003/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 186. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he proposes to publish a draft of the education (parent and student charter) Bill; the details of the proposed pre-legislative scrutiny process; and the timeframe for this. [2989/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 187. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which he will address concerns that the Teaching Council, in the absence of a statutory complaints procedure for use at school level, will be expected to address complaints which are better resolved at local level and thus have less resources to deal with very serious complaints which may arise. [2990/17]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Assistance (24 Jan 2017)

Joan Burton: 188. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the specific measures he plans in order to deal with concerns regarding third level student support and funding challenges for third level institutions. [2991/17]