Results 5,901-5,920 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department strives to ensure that a continuum of special education provision is available as required for children with special educational needs. In line with this approach the policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs including those with autism. As each child with autism is unique they should have access to a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The deferment of the planned PPP projects at the Institute of Technology in Tallaght in November 2011 was part of a Government decision to concentrate educational capital spending on delivering school accommodation required to meet to the needs of rapid demographic growth. The decision was informed by the need to prioritise resources in a difficult fiscal situation. Within the higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that officials in the Planning and Building Unit are liaising with colleagues in my Department's Special Education Section in relation to the matter to which he refers. My officials will be in further contact with the school authorities shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the Government's budgetary considerations and the Comprehensive Expenditure Review carried out in 2011, a decision was made to abolish payments by this Department towards the cost of attendance at Gaeltacht courses by students commencing their programme of primary initial teacher education. The decision came into effect for the 2012/13 academic year. As the Deputy will be aware,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of the considerable demand for the provision of multi-denominational primary school places in the area referred to by the Deputy and that this demand has grown over the last number of years. I can confirm to the Deputy that discussions are ongoing between my Department and the authorities of an existing school in this area with a view to making a school building available for an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: On Tuesday 29th of January Minister Fitzgerald and I published the Action Plan on Bullying. I have broadly accepted the twelve proposed actions and have ring-fenced €500,000 to support implementation this year. The anti-bullying working group also recommended the establishment of an Implementation Group to oversee the implementation of accepted actions and recommendations set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) has confirmed that the application from the first named student is being reviewed and SUSI will notify the student directly of the outcome as soon as possible. I understand that the second named student appealed the original decision made on his application to the appeals officer in SUSI on 4th February 2013. The case is being reviewed by the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a grant. The student will need to have his eligibility for a grant assessed by his grant awarding authority. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 8th November 2012. The student subsequently appealed the level of the award to the appeals officer in SUSI. The original decision was upheld. A letter issued to the student on 21st January 2013 in this regard. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland that 3,061 students who have been awarded a maintenance grant as at the 12 February 2012 are due to be paid by SUSI. The majority of these students currently awaiting payment will be paid within the next two weeks, depending on their submission of bank account details. A number of students will be paid on Friday 15th February 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that the student referred to by the Deputy was awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 24th December 2012. The student appealed the level of the award to the appeals officer in SUSI. The appeals officer has reviewed the case and I understand that a decision will issue shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The principal means tested scheme provided under the aegis of my Department is the student grant scheme. While the Department is not involved directly in means testing for student grants, means testing is carried out on its behalf by, currently, 66 grant awarding authorities. Eligibility for a student grant is not solely based on means. Eligibility is tested against a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 302, 305 and 306 together. The decision to withdraw all Resource Teacher for Travellers posts was taken by the previous Government. The economic situation has meant that very difficult decisions have had to be taken in order to make expenditure savings and to ensure that teacher numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Traveller Education (12 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: This Government has tried to protect, insofar as possible, overall expenditure in education to ensure appropriate provision for all system users, including members of the Travelling Community. Current policy in relation to Traveller education is underpinned by the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller Education Strategy which was launched in 2006, following wide ranging consultation...

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Fianna Fáil and Sinn Féin did not seek, through their Whips, to have a debate on this motion in the House when it came back from committee. There was no request.

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I was assured by the Minister of State, Deputy Jan O'Sullivan, a few seconds ago that she was at the committee, there was a full and comprehensive debate on the matters being addressed and there was no request from any member of the committee that there be a return to a full plenary session. The committee did not express dissatisfaction with the way it was debated or request that it be...

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Deputy Martin is quite entitled to ask. He is long enough in this House, probably not long enough in opposition but long enough in this House, to know how business is done and he has not done his business properly.

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I can understand why Deputies who have been recently elected to this House are very concerned about the way in which business was done over the past 48 hours. It was not of this Government's choosing but I will take no lectures from the Leader of the Fianna Fáil Party-----

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: -----no lectures whatsoever in relation to riding roughshod-----

Order of Business (7 Feb 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: -----over procedures when in this House on those benches we were here the night that it tied this country's future.