Results 5,301-5,320 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Expenditure (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 526 and 554 together. The position is that my Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the HEA designated higher education institutions including Trinity College Dublin. The HEA allocates this funding to the institutions and the internal disbursement of funding is then a matter for the individual...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Schemes (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a third-level admissions scheme for students with a disability. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. Further details in relation to the DARE scheme including the eligibility criteria, closing dates and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy has contacted my Department in relation to its school accommodation. My Department has been in contact with the school concerned in respect of their proposal and will continue to liaise with them in that regard.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has been in direct contact with the school, in question, and has explained that it considers the school has sufficient accommodation to meet its current needs. As the Deputy will appreciate, in view of the financial constraints within which my Department is operating, the position is that priority is being given to school applications for essential mainstream classroom accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Transition Year Selection Process (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Transition Year (TY) is a one-year programme designed to act as a bridge between the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate programmes. It is available to all second level schools. The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the Transition Year Programme in that school. In some schools, the programme is compulsory for all students....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: There are no plans at present to introduce Computing / IT as a full curriculum subject for the Leaving Certificate. The focus in schools is on using ICT as a tool in learning guided by the ICT curriculum framework developed by the NCCA. This is supported by digital content on the scoilnet website, by professional development programmes for teachers and by investment in ICT infrastructure....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides funding to schools towards the cost of assistive technology for pupils in Primary, Post Primary and Special schools for personal computers and specialist software for educational purposes under the Assistive Technology scheme, as set out in my Department's Circular 0010/2013. This Circular states that equipment is provided under this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Expenditure (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: This is an operational matter for the Tipperary Education and Training Board and I have asked them to contact the deputy directly in relation to his question.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: For the Deputy's information, following the enactment of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012, the Education Finance Board was dissolved in March 2013 and Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board was established. The body is funded from the contributions of the religious congregations offered in response to the request for additional contributions, following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding has been approved for universal access works at the school in question and the school authority has been notified.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Comprehensive information in relation to the composition of the boards of non-commercial State bodies under the aegis of the Department of Education and Skills, which includes the information requested by the Deputy, can be downloaded from my Department's website at In respect of the appointment process, under new Guidelines for Appointments to State Boards, which can be viewed on the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Work commenced in July 2013 on the development of a new Digital Strategy for Schools. A comprehensive consultation process was undertaken so that all views were heard. The five year strategy will address the key issues identified in the consultation including teaching, learning and assessment using ICT, Teacher professional learning, leadership and ICT Infrastructure. Work is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Design Team on the project to which the Deputy refers has recently completed stage 2(a) and has been authorised to progress to Stage 2(b), which includes the application for planning permission and other statutory approvals and the preparation of tender documents. Following the completion of stage 2(b) the project will then proceed to tender and construction stages. The project is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy has applied for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for repairs to the heating system at the school. This application is currently being assessed and the school authority will be notified of the outcome of this assessment as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Transition Year (TY) is a one-year programme designed to act as a bridge between the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate programmes. It is available to all second level schools. The management authority of each school carries responsibility for making decisions regarding the Transition Year Programme in that school. In some schools, the programme is compulsory for all students....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Industrial Disputes (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Following lengthy discussions facilitated by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in August 2013 and February 2014, terms of reference were agreed for an internal job evaluation exercise to establish the correct rate of pay for the employees of all grades within the Tyndall National Institute. The terms of reference covered all staff in the Institute comprehended by the unions' parity claim,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Garda Vetting Application Numbers (12 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The existing Garda vetting arrangements for the recognised schools sector operate on a non-statutory basis and have been in place for new employees since 2006. The number of teachers vetted under the non-statutory arrangements continues to steadily increase with about 54,000 of the 90,000 teachers on the Teaching Council register now vetted. The remaining 36,000 who have not yet been vetted...