Results 5,141-5,160 of 11,861 for speaker:Brian Hayes
- State Examinations. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: From the Minister's reply I take it that he is to receive the report tomorrow. How convenient that is when we are debating it in the Houses of the Oireachtas today. This is another fine mess which happened on the Minister's watch. It is easy in this case to make the superintendent the fall guy for another systems failure in the commission or the Department. We must be the only country in...
- State Examinations. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: So the fault lies at his door and nobody else's. Did the Minister also say his Department became aware of this a good two hours after this problem emerged? I find it astonishing, given that the leaving certificate is the big deal for the Department of Education and Science annually, that the Department would know of this two hours after it emerged and that proper procedures were not put in...
- State Examinations. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: While the Minister might be delighted by that, I suspect the students did not feel delight. The Minister said he will receive the report tomorrow. Will he make it public?
- State Examinations. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: So we will get a chance to see it tomorrow. What is the cost of this mistake? Why was the paper in the hall in the first place, given the clear procedures set out for security for superintendents? This is the fundamental question which needs to be asked, and it may come out of the report the Minster will receive today or tomorrow.
- State Examinations. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: And the cost?
- Special Educational Needs. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Has the Minister of State had an opportunity to visit the Midleton Centre for Autism? I and other colleagues visited it some months ago and saw at first hand the extraordinary work taking place there, bringing together children from the North and South on a collaborative basis to try to deal with many issues attached to autism. Will the Minister of State accept that there was an implicit...
- Special Educational Needs. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: The Northern Ireland Minister expressed surprise to hear of the Department's decision not to proceed with capital funding for the Midleton Centre for Autism. Was the Minister for Education in Northern Ireland informed in advance of the decision being taken? Will the Minister of State indicate to the House the scale of the pause? This unique project in Midleton is about bringing together...
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: The Minister of State is all heart.
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Therefore, the upshot is that the Minister of State will allow the ten schools to take part in the leaving certificate vocational programme but will not give them any money; that will be the position from next September. I am not sure who made this decision - the Minister of State or the Minister - but departmental officials were touting for schools to offer the programme in March. In April...
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: I know that.
- Leaving Certificate Vocational Programme. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: I am asking on the floor of the House that the Minister of State reconsider this decision for the ten schools out of 780 post-primary schools.
- Higher Education Grants. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Forgive me for thinking the Student Support Bill was introduced by the Government and that Second Stage was concluded a year ago. When will Committee Stage of the Bill be taken, given that before the last general election, the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Hanafin, issued five specific press statements to the effect that from September 2009 we would have the new, unified...
- Higher Education Grants. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: The Minister of State said a number of amendments were still being worked on in the Attorney General's office, which was not known when Second Stage was concluded. How many amendments are we talking about? I understood there was general support in the House for the Bill on Second Stage and that there were no outstanding legislative difficulties. What is causing the delay? Is the delay in...
- Higher Education Grants. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: He is working on it.
- Higher Education Grants. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: In what year does the Minister propose to put in place this new, streamlined system?
- School Patronage. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Hear, hear.
- School Patronage. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Reading between the lines, it is fair to state that the Minister has a more open position in respect of this matter than his predecessor. It was his predecessor's decision to hold the half-day conference.
- School Patronage. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: That is correct and it was seen as a sop to the INTO. It was not, therefore, the Minister's decision to hold that conference but he was obliged to give a speech at it. However, let us leave that matter to one side. I believe the Minister has an open view on this matter. If ever there was a need for a talking shop in respect of a particular matter, then this is it. Such a talking shop...
- School Patronage. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: Issues such as patronage, ownership, governance and whether to have religious or non-religious schools are of considerable concern to society. I request that the Minister reconsider this issue during the summer recess. I understand that the deadline regarding the submission of working papers to the commission on school accommodation is set for later this month. If, therefore, I wanted to...
- School Patronage. (2 Jul 2009)
Brian Hayes: -----it also relates to parents being allowed to listen, in public, to the views of all the partners in education, engage with those views and pose questions in an open manner. Bilaterals are a thing of the past. I request that the Minister give further consideration to this matter during the next two months or so, particularly as he seems to be more open in respect of it than his predecessor.