Results 5,341-5,360 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Seanad: Education and Training Boards Bill 2012: Committee Stage (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The establishment day will obviously be after the President has signed the Bill. We are anxious to ensure there is not a premature establishment day. We hope to have everything done by June at the latest and we will probably establish the boards on a sequential basis. Some sections will not commence until everything is in place. The establishment day is pragmatically based on whether all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: An appeal from the student in question was considered by the independent Student Grants Appeals Board on the 5th March 2013. I understand that the appeal was unsuccessful and that the Appeals Board upheld the decision of the appeals officer and the awarding authority. The student was notified of the outcome on 5th March 2013. Information in respect of a change of circumstances was...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Private Partnerships (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is in the process of being updated in consultation with the NDFA and will be forwarded to him in the next few days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It would appear from the details supplied by the Deputy that the first named student is a second level pupil. Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the second named student has had his grant application reviewed and a revised award letter issued on 4th March 2013. The grant application for the third named student is currently being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234, 236 and 263 together. The first measure took effect on 1 September 2010. It requires that, in order to be eligible to receive the qualified rate of pay and allowances, a person on their first appointment to teaching must be registered with the Teaching Council and appropriately qualified for that position or sector. This was introduced for the purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that in the context of Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) having received in excess of 69,000 applications that some errors may inevitably arise when handling a high volume of applications within a relatively short timeframe. While every effort is made by SUSI to ensure that applicants are processed correctly, SUSI accepts that, following its quality...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 237, 256 and 265 together. The school project referred to by the Deputies is included in the 5 year capital programme and is scheduled to progress to construction in 2014/15. The OPW had agreed to deliver a number of schools including the school referred to by the Deputy and the process of consultation with the relevant stakeholders on the timeframe for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme is available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that in the context of Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) having received in excess of 69,000 applications that some errors may inevitably arise when handling a high volume of applications within a relatively short timeframe. While every effort is made by SUSI to ensure that applicants are processed correctly, SUSI accepts that, following its quality...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The application from the school referred to by the Deputy is being considered by my Department. All applications for additional accommodation must have Patron approval and it is understood that the Patron is considering the matter. Department officials met with the school's Patron on 20th March last.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that reasonable accommodations for students with special educational needs, who are taking State examinations, may include the provision of a reader or scribe, subject to the conditions set out by the State Examinations Commission, which are available at www.examinations.ie. Such accommodations are specific to participation in state examinations and are therefore...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Approximately 88% of Primary teachers, excluding Principals, are female. In the case of Voluntary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive Schools approximately 69% of teachers, excluding Principals are female. VEC teachers are employees of VECs and are paid on 33 separate VEC payrolls. Accordingly, the Department does not have the information which the Deputy is seeking for teachers in VECs.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Multidenominational Schools (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, in June 2011, I announced that 20 new primary schools are to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations to meet significantly increasing demographics in those areas. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish a new primary school in Ratoath, County Meath. The Forward Planning Section of my Department will continue to analyse...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The independent Student Grants Appeal Board is in receipt of an appeal from the student in question. The appeal is due for consideration on the 27th March next. The student will be notified directly of the outcome by the Appeals Board.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education Facilities (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers to recently applied to my Department seeking funding for a PE hall. My Department has written to the school authority concerned to advise that in view of the need to prioritise available funding towards the provision of essential mainstream classroom accommodation, it is not possible to provide an indicative timeframe for the progression of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households. I have no plans to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants Eligibility Criteria (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Government's budgetary considerations and the Comprehensive Expenditure Review carried out in 2011, a decision was made to abolish the payments by this Department towards the cost of attendance at Gaeltacht courses by students commencing their programme of primary initial teacher education. The decision came into effect for the 2012/13 academic year. As the Deputy will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Transition Year Programme (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I believe that it is very important that we hear the student voice when we are developing policy. To that end I have encouraged ISSU to engage with my Department with a view to outlining its proposals for research on Transition Year and I understand that a meeting has already taken place. ISSU are scheduled to meet officials from my Department after Easter to discuss the further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Second-Level Students' Union (26 Mar 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My officials met with the ISSU to discuss the matter in question. They advised the ISSU representatives they must first resolve issues regarding their legal status and requested a strategic plan demonstrating how they can achieve self sufficiency. I clarified this at subsequent meetings with them.