Results 5,901-5,920 of 11,114 for speaker:Damien English

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Schemes (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: A total of €26.5 million was allocated in 2014 to Education and Training Boards (ETBs) under the Adult Literacy programme. The cost of doubling this allocation would increase the total cost to €53 million An additional €2.8 million was allocated to ETBs under the Workplace Basic Education Programme, funded from the National Training Fund, which provides literacy and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Changes to the School Transport Scheme have generated an increase in the number of queries and representations to my Department and when combined with the routine administrative work undertaken within my Department in relation to school transport provision generally, regrettably, it was not feasible to deal with the increased volume of representations in a more timely manner. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The Annual Student Contribution is levied on students attending Institutes of Technology (IoTs). The amount due by apprentices is calculated on a pro rata basis of the time which they spend in Institutes of Technology during the academic year. Since 2004, FÁS/SOLAS has paid a part of the Annual Student Contribution due in respect of apprentices, with apprentices themselves paying the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs, children are eligible for transport where they are attending the nearest recognised school that is or can be resourced to meet their special educational needs. The National Council for Special Education through its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) acts in an advisory...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that a new service to the school in question commenced on 8th September 2014 in accordance with the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (23 Sep 2014)

Damien English: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that the individual in question may avail of transport on a concessionary basis. Bus Éireann will be in contact with the family regarding the matter.

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: I apologise on behalf of my line Minister, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, who cannot be here as she is out of the country on a trade mission. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances as either students dependent on parents or legal guardians or independent mature students. A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has...

Topical Issue Debate: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: That is a separate issue altogether, but it is no harm for Deputy Nolan to take the opportunity to raise it. It is something we would all like to avoid if we could. When the contribution came in and the plan was made to increase it every year, the context was one of very tight budgetary constraints. Those have not yet gone away, and we must be very careful. Although things have improved...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Proposed Legislation (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The Report of the Copyright Review Committee Modernising Copyrightwas published on 29 October 2013. The Report contains in excess of 60 recommendations covering a diverse range of copyright issues which are being reviewed and evaluated in my Department. A number of the recommendations touch also on areas of responsibility outside of my Department's remit and these Departments have also been...

Written Answers — Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation: Unified Patent Court (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: As the international Agreement on a Unified Patent Court (UPC) entails the transfer of jurisdiction in respect of certain European patent litigation from the Irish courts to the Unified Patent Court, the issue of Ireland’s participation in the Court is, as the Deputy will be aware, subject in the first instance to the carrying of a Referendum. The nature of Ireland’s proposed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Community Training Centres (CTCs) are funded through the Education and Training Boards. They are managed and operated by independent local Boards of Management and each CTC is a separate legal entity. The staff are employed by these groups and as such do not have an entitlement to redeployment. My Department does not have a direct role in staffing and employment issues relating to these bodies.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Bus Éireann's School Transport online Application and Ticket Payment system affords persons of all ages greater convenience and transparency in school transport related interactions than ever before. The new system enables families to manage all aspects of their applications for school transport, including registration, amendments and payments, using contemporary online features. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The provision of school transport for the individual referred to by the Deputy is being examined by my Department. Any changes which result from this examination will be notified to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Care Services Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Childcare assistance was introduced in the late 1990s as a way of providing assistance to people with less than upper second level education who faced barriers in returning to education and were distant from the labour market. The Budget 2010 decision to rationalise childcare support schemes, saw the establishment of the Childcare Education and Training Support (CETS) scheme, which is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The purpose of the School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children with special educational needs arising from a diagnosed disability. Children with special educational needs are eligible for school transport if they are attending the nearest recognised: mainstream school,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The safety of children travelling on school transport services is of paramount importance to my Department and to Bus Éireann. Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes and endeavours, within available resources, to ensure that each eligible child has a reasonable level of school transport service while at the same time, ensuring that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme, on behalf of my Department has advised that the child in question was incorrectly categorised as ineligible for school transport under the terms of the Post Primary School Transport Scheme. This error has been rectified and Bus Éireann is now making arrangements for this child to avail of free school transport.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: Children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. In certain areas, families who choose to send their children to schools other than their nearest diminish the chance of a service being established to their nearest...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: This is an operational matter for the Cork Education and Training Board (CETB) and I have asked CETB to contact the Deputy directly to clarify the position. However, I understand from CETB that they have relocated adult education services from this centre to another location in Fermoy and the level of service provided will not be affected by the move.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Damien English: The Deputy will be aware that under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for school transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kilometres from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. The school transport scheme as it has operated at second...