Results 5,381-5,400 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent/CID holding teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers. Arrangements for panel access...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (6 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 the establishment of special classes in various geographical areas as required, and for planning for future special school provision. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Staff (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The detailed information the Deputy requires is contained in the tables. Number of Educational Psychologists employed in NEPS Year No. W.T.E 2006 124 117.8 2007 134 126.7 2008 155 148.5 2009 153 146.9 2010 165 158.9 2011 173 166.0 2012 167 158.8 2013 171 162.8 2014 177 168.1 2015 177 166.9*Numbers at 1st January of each year with the exception of 2015 which represents...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Under this scheme schools can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that this Government has significantly increased the overall number of resource teaching posts available to schools in recent years. Some 480 additional resource teaching posts were provided for the 2014/15 school year and an additional 480 posts have been made available for the 2015/16 year, in order to meet growing demand from schools for low incidence special...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that there are now more Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) available for allocation than ever before. This Government committed, as part of the budget announcements made last year, to provide for 365 new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts to support children with special educational needs in schools in 2015. This increase is additional to the increase of 390 posts...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Speech and Language Therapy (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides an extensive range of supports for pupils who require speech and language support. This includes provision for the establishment of special classes for pupils with Specific Speech and Language Disorder (SSLD) in primary schools. The criteria for enrolment in a Special Class for pupils with SSLD is set out in my Department's Circular...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The results of the 2012 Lifeskills survey, which were published by my Department in February 2014, indicated that approximately 30% of post primary schools have vending machines or school shops which sell fizzy drinks, sweets and crisps. This figure was down from 35% in the 2009 survey. The 2012 survey did not find vending machines in primary schools. The Lifeskills survey 2015 is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Projects (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Work is currently being finalised on the new digital strategy for schools and the strategy will be published before the autumn. A number of research projects have taken place including an online census of teachers and principals, a public consultation process, focus groups with students, parents and teachers and a number of meetings with stakeholders including teacher unions, principal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Data (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Revised arrangements to enable school boards to take appropriate steps to deal with significant difficulties that may arise regarding a teacher's professional competence and/or conduct were negotiated and agreed by the education partners in autumn 2009. These were published in Department Circulars 59/2009 & 60/2009. Following the commencement of the Education and Training Boards...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the Teaching Council Act 2001, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority for registration of teachers including procedures and criteria for probation. All primary teachers must complete their probation successfully before they can achieve full registration with the Teaching Council. The Teaching Council requires teachers' practice to be evaluated in a mainstream class...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In November, 2014 the school referred to by the Deputy was sanctioned a devolved grant under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide two mainstream classrooms and three resources rooms. The school has recently submitted a request for additional funding and this request is currently being considered and the school authorities will be notified of the outcome as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, a set of proposals for a public service agreement were put forward by the Labour Relations Commission which now form the Public Service Stability Agreement 2013-2016 (the Haddington Road Agreement). One aspect of this Agreement relates to supplementary assignment arrangements for Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) and as both Unions that represent SNAs namely, SIPTU...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As Minister for Education and Skills, I am aware that the Irish Federation of University Teachers has called for the implementation of the European Commission recommendation on strengthening the principle of equal pay between men and women through transparency. Implementation of this recommendation is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Justice and Equality.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Staff (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I have welcomed the response of NUI Galway in unreservedly accepting the ruling of the Equality Tribunal last November in the case of Dr Micheline Sheehy Skeffington, and in establishing a Task Force to address related issues. Discrimination against women in the workplace is unacceptable in any setting and the issues brought to light in that case are of serious concern to me. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The management authorities of the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for yard works. As the scope of works for which funding is sought is outside the scope of the scheme it cannot be considered for funding. The management authority has been informed of this decision. The school authority has recently been advised...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing Appeals Mechanism (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's website. 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 coming school year 2015/16 are set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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 are available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Facilities (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The needs of the College will be considered in the context of budgetary resources and having regard to competing demands.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (6 May 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Eligibility for assistance from Caranua is confined to those who received awards from the Redress Board or equivalent Court awards or settlements. This approach was taken having regard to the maximum funds available of €110 million and a potential pool of some 15,000 applicants. I intend to consider the question of a review of the arrangements relating to eligibility later this year...