Results 521-540 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments Data (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department does not hold details of enrolment applicants in schools. Such details are retained by the individual school authority. I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department approved funding to the boys' school in the area in question in May 2012 to provide two additional classrooms to cater for increasing pupil numbers. As part of the same...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Further Education and Training Programmes Provision (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is an operational matter for the City of Dublin Education Training Board (CDETB). I am informed by the CDETB that St John Bosco Youth Centre currently receive funding for two Local Training Initiative programmes operating out of the premises on Davitt road. These programmes have been funded and supported by the Training Centre in Ballyfermot since Jan 2013. These programmes are both at...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications for the 2014/15 academic year is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Works Scheme Applications (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school in question recently submitted an application for funding for toilet facilities for a special needs pupil under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme. This application is currently being assessed and the school authorities will be notified of the outcome once this assessment has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (10 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department's priority is to target its limited capital budget for the provision of additional school accommodation in identified areas of demographic growth. Major school building projects, including the school referred to by the Deputy, that are not included in the current Five Year Construction Programme, will continue to be progressed subject to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Administration (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS. I have asked SOLAS to contact the Deputy directly to clarify the issue.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The current status of all projects on the school building programme, including those for County Kildare, may be viewed on my Department's website at www.education.ie which is updated regularly throughout the year. The Deputy will be aware that the 5 Year Construction Plan, that I announced in March 2012, lists the individual school projects that are planned to proceed to construction over...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from my officials a Section 29 appeal will be heard on behalf of the pupil in question on the 6th June. My officials will issue the outcome of the appeal as soon as possible when it is received from the hearing committee.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's design guidelines for schools include guidance in the provision of P.E. Halls, general purpose rooms and outdoor hard play areas such as basketball courts. Other P.E. facilities, e.g. pitches are provided, where appropriate, and in the context of available resources, as part of the Department's school building programme. I wish to advise the Deputy that the Physical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing Appeals Mechanism (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15 school year are set out in Circular 0007/2014 which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 40 and 47 together. In December 2013, this Government increased the cap on the number of SNA posts by 390 posts to 10,965 at the end of 2014 with over 23,000 children currently accessing SNA services. These extra posts will ensure that the Government's policy of ensuring that every child who is assessed as needing SNA support will receive access to such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The College to which the Deputy refers is a private college and is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It does not receive core funding, however, my Department provides grant in lieu of tuition fee funding to the College in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. Whilst there is a cap on the number of students to which such free fees funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 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: Schools Building Projects Applications (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is planned to deliver Skibbereen Community School as a part of a bundle of four schools (Schools Bundle 4) through this Department's Public Private Partnership (PPP) Programme. The new school will cater for 900 students and will be constructed on a greenfield site at Gortnaclohy, Skibbereen. Planning permission for the proposed school was secured from Skibbereen Town Council on 12 May...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that, in accordance with Section 32 (2) of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013, the Minister may by order specify a class, description or grade of position of employment in an education and training board (ETB) the members of which are ineligible to be a member of a board, having regard to the desirability of (a) maintaining the distinction between reserved functions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the Department website. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15 school year (Circular 0007/2014) were published on 24 January, 2014. The staffing process includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. The Appeals Board operates...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (5 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Major School Building Project referred to by the Deputy is currently at Stage 2a Developed Sketch Design of Architectural Planning. The Mechanical & Electrical Submission for the project is currently under review in my Department. Following this review, subject to no further issues arising, the project will proceed to full Stage 2b Detailed Design which includes planning and...

Topical Issue Debate: School Placement (4 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I will respond directly to what Deputy Harris said, which might be a bit more constructive. We have a growth in population that will not peak until 2026. The problem is aggravated in many areas, including the area to which Deputy Harris referred, for all the normal reasons, but it will take time to put a response in place to my satisfaction and that will require support and confidence from...

Topical Issue Debate: School Placement (4 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I will not comment specifically on Deputy Harris’s area because I am not as well informed as he is, but in some areas there is close co-operation between the various primary schools in order that people know who has applied and there is a certain amount of sharing of information. However, that is not always the case. In fact, at the other end of the spectrum one has schools beating...