Results 561-580 of 14,576 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department is not currently in a position to place staff on the redeployment resource panel as we are operating within our Employment Control Framework (ECF). The Public Service Agreements (PSAs) provide for agreed redeployment arrangements to apply in the Civil Service. The arrangements note that "while staff may be moved between different locations as a consequence of the redeployment...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The overall policy goal of my Department is to ensure the highest standard of permanent accommodation for all schools. In the context of a rapidly increasing school population and competing pressure on the capital budget available to my Department, it is sometimes necessary to make use of temporary accommodation in order to meet the accommodation needs of schools. Since July 2008, schools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's National Educational Psychological Service has, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, adopted a consultative model of service. The focus is on empowering teachers to intervene effectively with pupils whose needs range from mild to severe and transient to enduring. Psychologists use a problem solving and solution focused consultative...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 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. I understand that the pupil in question is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Circular 0030/2014, which issued to schools on 10 April 2014, sets out my Department's policy in relation to the SNA scheme. This Circular clarifies and restates the purpose of the SNA scheme i.e. to provide schools with additional adult support staff who can assist children with special educational needs who also have additional and significant care needs. The Circular provides details of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 273 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that it is my Department's intention to provide improved accommodation for the school to which he refers. It is intended that the school will be accommodated in a school building currently occupied temporarily by a special school pending the construction of a permanent school building for the special school....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department 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 30 September 2013. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Procurement Unit (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Schools Procurement Unit (SPU) has a central role in communicating procurement requirements and opportunities to schools, driving and measuring compliance with central contracts and managing procurement data across the schools sector.Central contracts only exist for specific ranges of goods and services. Schools are free to procure goods and services not covered by central contracts from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The contractual position in respect of the working hours of SNAs is as outlined in their contracts of employment which were agreed with the school management authorities and the relevant Trade Unions representing SNAs (IMPACT and SIPTU) prior to their introduction in 2005. The agreement reached between the parties found expression in the two circular letters issued in 2005 detailing the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: DES Circular 0041/2014 (see link as follows) was introduced solely with the intention of providing a job-sharing scheme for Special Needs Assistants and not setting up wage curtailment. .

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Nursing Education (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The following data has been extracted by the HEA from the most recent First Destination of Graduates Survey for the 2012 graduates. The data refers to Nursing Level 8 graduates from UL, UCD, UCC, TCD, NUIG and St. Angela's. For that cohort the response rate to the survey was 72%. Of the 72% who responded to the survey 61% were employed 9 months after graduation and of that 61%, 21% were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Designation (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no immediate plans to carry out a reassessment of the levels of disadvantage in primary schools with a view to allowing additional schools join the DEIS programme. There is a commitment under DEIS for ongoing evaluation to ensure successful implementation with the best possible approaches to measuring progress and outcomes at both local and national level. These evaluations also...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, a substantial 8 classroom extension to the school in question was completed in 2013. In addition, a new primary school was also opened in September last in the area concerned to meet demographic demand. My Department is not in receipt of an application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy. I wish to advise the Deputy that my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 May 2014)

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 enrolment of a child to a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (27 May 2014)

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 are available for downloading from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that the higher education institutions are autonomous bodies and their day to day operations are matters for the governing bodies of each institution. However, I understand that universities and institutes of technology have procedures in place to ensure that research undertaken, including the treatment of confidential information, is in keeping with accepted good practice....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: All appointments using funding allocated under my Department's school building programme must be tendered in accordance with EU and National procurement guidelines. For large school building projects (i.e. those with an estimated cost in excess of €2.5 million), design team services, including architects, are appointed from my Department's Framework for Consultancy Services –...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school, referred to by the Deputy, has made an application to my Department for capital funding for the provision of additional school accommodation. The application concerned is currently under consideration and a decision will issue to the school authority shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 287 together. The 1998 Education Act requires Boards of Management of each school to publish the policy of the school relating to participation by students with special educational needs, including students who are exceptionally able. The measures schools take in this regard are required to be stated in the school plan. It is the duty of the Board of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Expenditure (27 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced details of the schools that will receive Summer Works Scheme funding in 2014 in respect of applications submitted for Categories 1 to 6 i.e. Gas, Electrical, Mechanical, Toilet Facilities and Roof Works projects. In total, I have approved the spending of more than €70 million on the Summer Works Scheme to allow 772 schools undertake...