Results 5,041-5,060 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Administration (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My focus in Budget 2015 was on obtaining the additional funding that was necessary to provide for demographic growth. The last Budget included an increase in spending on education for the first time in recent years, amounting to additional funding of €60m during 2015. This funding will be used to provide 1,700 additional teachers and SNAs for our schools, as well as to fund...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Principal duties in medium to large sized schools are carried out by administrative principals. Principal duties in small to medium sized schools are carried out by teaching principals. Circular 25/02 which is available on the Department website outlines the number of days that teaching principals may take as release time in a school year in order to assist them fulfilling their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: At primary level, funding towards schools' running costs is provided by my Department's scheme of capitation grants. These grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of primary schools. Minimums and maximums apply to these grants which reflect the estimated minimum running costs of small schools and the economies of scale that may be achieved in larger schools....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: When the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced in 2009, the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools. These posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium was therefore limited to the Assistant Principal and Special Duties posts of responsibility. The alleviation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Due to worsening economic circumstances, the previous Government reduced the salaries and allowances payable of all new entrants to public service recruitment grades (including teachers) by 10% with effect from 1 January 2011 and required that such new entrants would start on the first point of the applicable salary scale. Subsequently, arising from the public service-wide review of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school to which the Deputy refers is a recognised national school and attracts funding from my Department in the same way as all other national schools. All recognised national schools running costs are met by my Departments schemes of capitation and ancillary service grants. Schools receive capitation funding in January and June, and the ancillary services grant in March. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. The enrolment policy must be non-discriminatory and must be applied fairly in respect of all applicants. This Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy, is currently completing the advanced stage of Architectural Planning, Stage 2b – Detailed Design, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. All relevant statutory approvals have been obtained. The Stage 2b submission was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am aware of the research referred to by the Deputy.The research is based on a survey of guidance counsellors and one to one telephone interviews with a small number of them. While the research is useful it is important to note that the survey did not include a school management perspective or encompass the role of other teachers in schools given that guidance provision is a whole school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Following an independent identification process in 2005, and a subsequent appeal process in 2006, the school to which the Deputy refers was not deemed to meet the criteria for inclusion in the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Programme. As the Deputy may be aware, I have recently announced a process for the review of DEIS which will include the development of a new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that, as outlined in my announcement of 21st May, approximately 50 schools, both Primary and Post Primary, are being invited to participate, on a voluntary basis, in the pilot of a new resource allocation model for schools, which will commence in September 2015. The pilot will test the utilisation of resources by schools and the distribution and management of those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced that additional resources will be allocated to schools, as an interim measure, to support those children with Down syndrome, who are not already supported through the (NCSE) low incidence resource teaching annual allocation process. All children with Down syndrome had previously been entitled to receive additional teaching support either...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Schools were selected for participation in DEIS based on an independent identification process in 2005 and a subsequent Appeals process in 2006. As the Deputy may be aware, I have recently announced a process for the review of DEIS, which will include the development over the course of the next school year of a new identification process for all schools, including those mentioned by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has confirmed that it is not in a position to purchase the property in question. The Department explained to the correspondent that it is already heavily committed financially to delivering a significant number of school projects in the area in question in County Wicklow. This includes a new primary school due to open next September, which will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Panel Rights (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. Arrangements for panel access for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Seirbhísi trí Ghaeilge (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Tá mo Roinn tiomanta do chinntiú go gcuireann sí an tseirbhís is fearr ar fáil agus is féidir, sa dá theanga oifigiúla, don phobal i gcoitinne. Tugann Scéim Ghaeilge mo Roinne 2013-2016, atá foilsithe ar shuíomh gréasáin na Roinne anseo, eolas faoi na seirbhísí atá ar fáil as Gaeilge faoi láthair agus...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Exchequer funds tuition fee costs in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study under my Department's Free Fees Initiative. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must be first-time undergraduates, hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy is to provide for an extension and refurbishment to each school, including the provision of additional classrooms to replace current temporary accommodation. This major building project is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been authorised to proceed to Stage 2B of Architectural...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (9 Jun 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. An independent student must be a mature student, aged 23 or over on entry to college (or re-entry after a break in studies of at least 3 years) who has not lived with his or her parents for a period before...