Results 6,001-6,020 of 8,015 for speaker:Jonathan O'Brien

Other Questions: Cross-Border Educational Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: I welcome the Minister's comments on the primary and post-primary sector. I presume the new admissions Bill will reflect the willingness to allow parents who have children in Border areas to access education, whether it be across the Border in the Six Counties or in the South, and that such access will not be an issue for students who live in the North and who may wish to be schooled in the...

Other Questions: Cross-Border Educational Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: I thank the Minister and I look forward to his discussions with the relevant Minister on 1 November. In respect of the postgraduate schemes, SUSI currently covers students studying in the Six Counties, but beyond the postgraduate system, I believe there is no undergraduate support. Is this a matter the Minister is considering or is it something that simply will be contained within the...

Other Questions: Legislative Programme (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: I welcome the Minister's reply. It is important that we do not allow this issue to fall off the agenda. All of us recognise the significant cost involved in fully implementing the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act. Some people have suggested the cost could be double the figure of €235 million cited by the Minister. I understand the cost issue has not been the...

Other Questions: Legislative Programme (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: Would partial implementation of the Act give rise to legal issues? Is the legal advice that the remaining elements of the Act must be implemented together? I ask the Minister to clarify that matter.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: Has the Minister carried out any analysis examining the effect of any proposed increases?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 58. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reasons circular 045/2013 has not been placed on a statutory footing. [42470/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: Under the previous system, there was a very ad hoc approach to how schools were implementing those guidelines. Some schools had very good anti-bullying policies in place while others were not so good. The new circular sets out procedures to give direction and guidance to school authorities and personnel in preventing and tackling school-based bullying behaviour. I also note that we looked...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Bullying in Schools (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: What would be the consequences for schools which do not implement the circular, be it because they do not have the expertise to develop a comprehensive anti-bullying policy or they do not have the resources to meet the targets in terms of the end of the academic year? What is the follow-up in terms of working with those schools which may not have that expertise?

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: The class sizes have increased.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: I fully recognise that PTR has not changed, but class sizes are on the increase, which I am sure the Minister recognises. When he took up office, the average class size was 24.3 pupils, but the latest figures show that it is now 24.7 pupils. I take from his response that whatever decision is made next week will not affect DEIS schools. I am not looking for an answer on whether the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 61. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he has carried out an impact analysis on increasing the pupil-teacher ratio in primary and post-primary schools. [42471/13]

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: I do not know whether the Government will increase the pupil-teacher ratio next week. The Minister probably knows by now whether that will happen. If a decision is made to go down that road, can we get an assurance that some sort of impact analysis has been done on the effect an increase will have on schools? We already have 23% of pupils being taught in classrooms of more than 30 pupils....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Appointments (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 90. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the number of retired or non-serving teachers or school principals or deputy principals who have been appointed to work with his Department to roll out the new junior cycle reforms; the years in which the retirees took up retirement; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42188/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 201. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if the proposed Spring 2014 standardised tests in literacy and numeracy for second level second year students are on schedule to be carried out; if his Department is confident that these tests, which are an integral part of his strategy for literacy and numeracy, will be conducted for English literacy, litearthacht sa Ghaeilge, Numeracy and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Programmes (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 210. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of any projects or programmes initiated by his Department which were ended or abandoned before completion; the costs and duration of each of these projects; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41959/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 266. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his Department collates figures for teacher absenteeism in primary and secondary schools; and the way this information is collated and the headline results generated. [42526/13]

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (8 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 267. To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if his attention has been drawn to a study carried out by the Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board on teacher absenteeism; his views on the finding of the report which indicated that the average rate of absenteeism was 3.4%; and the way these finding compare with other similar studies that he may be aware of carried out by...

Written Answers — Department of Finance: Central Bank of Ireland Investigations (3 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 25. To ask the Minister for Finance if he will instruct the Central Bank of Ireland to listen to and to forward on its comments on the rest of the Anglo Irish recordings to which it has access to the Gardaí and Director of Corporate Enforcement. [41510/13]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Overseas Development Aid Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 23. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade the way his Department is implementing commitments it has entered into as part of the International Aid Transparency Initiative processes. [41149/13]

Written Answers — Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade: Human Rights Issues (2 Oct 2013)

Jonathan O'Brien: 35. To ask the Tánaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade if his attention has been drawn to the continued widespread human rights abuses by the Bahraini regime; the recent announcement of an Arab Court of Human Rights to be based in Bahrain when it is established; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [41159/13]