Results 5,281-5,300 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Amendment No. 35 is a technical amendment required on foot of amendments on Dáil Committee Stage to take account of changes in terminology. In this regard, the Bill refers to a "complaint" under section 42 whereas the 2001 Act referred to an "application" or "appeal". It also deletes the provision at section 42(5)(b)(iii) of the Act that the investigating committee shall refuse to...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment to update the 2001 Act's reference to the EU directive on the mutual recognition of qualifications to the relevant directive that is now in place.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment updating the name of the Marino Institute of Education into the 2001 Act.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Amendment No. 6 is to enable the disciplinary committee, for the purpose of carrying out a fitness to teach inquiry, to sit in divisions of itself and where each division is to be referred to as a "panel". The 2001 Act already provided that panels would conduct inquiries on behalf of the disciplinary committee and the revised wording strengthens references in the Act to the role of the...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Amendments Nos. 7, 30, 33, 34, 36, 39 and 40, as proposed, serve to remove references to the director as secretary to the investigating committee. There is no legal need for the director to act as secretary to the investigating committee. Removing this requirement will afford the Teaching Council more flexibility in how it manages its operation of the fitness to teach processes, including...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Section 29 of the principal Act provides for the establishment and maintenance of the register of teachers. The purpose of this amendment is to update section 29 in relation to entering on the register details of each person who is registered or is entitled to be registered, as opposed to only each person entitled to be registered, to make clear that the provision relates to teachers who are...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The amendments are technical and consequential amendments arising from amendment No. 16. Amendment No. 16 substitutes the existing section 33 of the 2001 Act, which relates to renewal of registration. The Bill as initiated made a number of amendments to section 33 of the 2001 Act. Further amendments to section 33 were made on both Dáil Committee Stage, Seanad Committee Stage and on...

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: These are minor technical amendments to ensure consistency of language throughout the Bill when referring to the Act of 2015. They replace references to the Bill when enacted as the Teaching Council (Amendment) Act 2015 with the “Act of 2015”.

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Seanad Amendment No. 41 provides for the holding of an inquiry under section 43 by a panel of the disciplinary committee where the investigating committee has determined that there is a prima faciecase to answer, following a complaint to the council about a registered teacher This is a redraft of section 43 to make clear the steps and processes involved in an inquiry and the responsibilities...

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: This is a technical amendment. It removes references in section 23(1) of the Industrial Relations Act 1990 to an officer of a vocational education committee and an officer of a school attendance board. These amendments arise from an amendment agreed on Report Stage in this House, which amends a reference in section 23(1) from "a member of staff of an education and training board" to "a...

Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill 2015: From the Seanad (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Sections 43 and 46 were introduced on Report Stage in this House. Section 43 provides for an amendment to the definition of “Agriculture” in the Industrial Relations Act 1976, for the purposes of giving effect to the Labour Court recommendation on the scope of the agriculture JLC, arising from the 2013 review undertaken by the court of all existing joint labour committees. ...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Weight of Schoolbags (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I thank the Senator for giving me the opportunity to outline to the House the position on the matter of the weight of schoolbags. It is an issue that most of us present have an interest in, but certainly we all have memories of carrying bags on our shoulders on the way to school. The Senator has good shoulders, so I am sure that he was able to carry his. There have been some improvements...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Weight of Schoolbags (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I understand the Senator's point, but schools are run by boards of management and are separate from the Department. This is a fact of life. If we were to remove all of that power, a different discussion would be held. The best thing that the Department can do is work with the schools and give guidelines, advice and support. We could probably fight for more resources to increase the...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: University Status Applications (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I thank Senator Cullinane for raising this matter as it gives me the opportunity to outline to the House the current position regarding the technological university for the south east on behalf of the Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan. As the Senator will be aware, the national strategy for higher education to 2030, published in January 2011, recommended the consolidation of the institute of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: University Status Applications (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I understand that 40 meetings took place and the Minister wishes to record her gratitude to Mr. Kelly for undertaking such a comprehensive and wide-ranging consultation process and for producing a comprehensive report. In terms of the next steps, the Minister is meeting with the two institutes shortly, either this week or next week, to discuss the findings and recommendations of the report....

Seanad: Commencement Matters: University Status Applications (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I will certainly convey that suggestion to the Minister. She wants this to happen as well and is very supportive of it, as am I. I have visited the WIT on a couple of occasions and was very impressed with the work that is done there. I have not yet had a chance to visit Carlow IT, but I intend to do so shortly. The idea is that it would increase the offering to the area. It must be about...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I am replying on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government, Deputy Alan Kelly, and I thank the Senator for raising the issue. The Minister would like to have attended but he is taking parliamentary questions in the Dáil. It is an important issue, as the Senator said.I am sure that Senators are already aware of the extraordinary number of...

Seanad: Commencement Matters: Local Authority Members' Remuneration (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: The Minister probably agrees with most of what the Senator has said. I shall convey the Senator's comments to him as well even though I know he has made direct contact with him. Most of us here have been a councillor at some stage in our lives so we understand the work of councillors. Most people do not understand the workings of a local councillor and one could not explain it to them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: I refer the Deputy to the answer to PQ No. 450 of 6th May 2015 on this matter wherein I highlighted that under Regulation (EU) No. 1309/2013 governing the European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) a derogation is permitted from the standard minimum number of at least 500 redundancies caused as a result of the adverse impacts of globalisation which is normally required before an EGF...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Appeals (16 Jul 2015)

Damien English: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for transport where they: have special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability in accordance with the designation of high and low incidence disability set out in Department of Education and Skill's (DES) Circular 02/05; and are attending the nearest...