Results 5,541-5,560 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: I might go through the replies to these questions first.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: I am sorry. Does Deputy McConalogue want to continue?

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: I thank the members for all their questions. The review of existing apprenticeships will examine whether the skills involved will be useful for the future as well as transferable. In addition, SOLAS is carefully watching the numbers applying in each sector because there has been an oversupply in the past. Part of the job of SOLAS will be to monitor that supply to ensure that there is not...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: There is no increase. The number of places was the same in 2013 and 2014. The number of PLC students is 37,318, and the numbers are predicted to be the same. There will be a review of PLCs at the back end of this year. It will feed into future decisions on this area. On the division of the PLC places around the country, in some places the number might seem a little high. There is...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: The area of guidance is an important one and it can be underestimated. The problem we can see with it is that there is guidance in a number of areas. There is guidance in the education and training boards. There is guidance if one goes into the Intreo office. There is guidance in schools. We need an integrated approach. Part of the strategy is that there is a proper integrated guidance...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: It is evaluated. It is an annual call. Any provider of Springboard courses is not guaranteed to get funding this year or next year. Each provider must compete every year. At present, the proposals are out. There is a proposal at present that involves evaluating the courses of the past couple of years. In some cases we probably should be considering two-year funding, because some of it...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: There is quite a high success rate. I must get the figures for the Chairman. It is quite high. I have the MOMENTUM figures, but the Springboard figures are quite high. I remember reading the report. I do not have the figures in my head but I will send them on to the Chairman. There is a good report on that. The rates of placement and job creation are quite high, and there are some who...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: It is in the further education and training sector. It is being worked on. It is to ensure there is joined-up thinking across the sector of further education and training. There is a lot of adult guidance in the ETBs. Then they go down the road to the Intreo office and there is a crossover there. It is to ensure we get the best use of resources, but also that the client gets the best...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2015
Vote 26 - Department of Education and Skills (Revised) (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: I thank Deputy Conaghan. He taught me well in his couple of years here. He always raises the wider view on what we are trying to achieve. To add to what the Minister said about the further education and training sector, we recognise very strongly the sector's importance and the fact that it must become a major pillar of our education system. We are spending over €800 million in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (4 Mar 2015)

Damien English: Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 3.2 km from and are attending their nearest national school as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. A minimum number of ten eligible children residing in a distinct locality, as determined by Bus Éireann,...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 1:In page 4, line 20, to delete "granting the university authorisation" and substitute "subject to subsection (6), granting the university authorisation". As Deputies will be aware, the purpose of sections 2 to 5, inclusive, is to provide for the authorisation by the Minister of the use of the description of "university" by a high quality education provider for specified...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 2:In page 4, between lines 24 and 25, to insert the following:"(6) The Minister may, at the time of granting a university authorisation to an education provider, by notice in writing to that provider, impose such conditions (if any) as he or she considers appropriate in relation to the use by that provider of that university authorisation. (7) An education provider shall...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 3:In page 4, to delete lines 37 to 39 and substitute the following:"(8) An education provider may appeal against--(a) the imposition of one or more conditions imposed under subsection (6), or (b) a refusal to grant university authorisation to the provider under subsection (5)(b),within 30 days of the service of the notice under subsection (6) or subsection (7) as the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I move amendment No. 4:In page 5, to delete lines 23 to 37 and substitute the following:"(3) An tÚdarás may at any time review an authorised provider to ensure that the provider is--(a) not describing itself, or causing itself to be described, as a university in the State or for a purpose other than a specified purpose, and (b) complying with any conditions imposed under section...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I agree with the Deputy in that schools need to be accountable to parents and we need greater levels of communication, engagement and transparency in how schools serve their communities. I understand what the Deputy is trying to achieve with his amendments, but we have concerns about how they would operate administratively as drafted. With 4,000 schools in the system, a centralised analysis...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: The Minister has spoken on this matter a few times and is aware of it. She has also discussed it with the Deputy. She wants to work on it and to bring more communication, engagement and transparency to it in order that everyone is treated fairly. There will be opportunities to deal with this important issue in the charter and the upcoming Bill, and the Minister wants to stress that she is...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I appreciate the concerns informing the Deputy's amendment. We have discussed this issue in the Dáil a couple of times during Question Time and so on. The amendment relates mainly to cases in which students may need to be assessed independently of their parents' income. The Minister has spoken on this issue once or twice and I have taken a debate on it on her behalf. She has stated...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I understand what the Deputy is saying and know that his concerns are genuine. The view of the Department, however, is that there is enough scope in the legislation, as it stands, to deal with the issue. The Minister has the authority to work on it and already indicated in the Dáil that she is prepared to do so.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: With respect, she has only been in office for a couple of months. There is no problem in that regard. Our main concern with the amendment is that it is very broad. We are dealing with taxpayers' money and must make sure it is spent correctly on those who genuinely need it. Our concern with the amendment is that might have unintended consequences. It could lead to situations where...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2014: Committee Stage (26 Feb 2015)

Damien English: I cannot commit to bringing forward an amendment to the Bill, but I can commit to the Minister explaining to the Deputy what she intends to do. She has given a commitment that she will deal with this issue. She is prepared to look at it and work with Deputy on it. I suggest the Deputy wait until Report Stage to press the amendment and have further discussions with the Department in the...