Results 6,121-6,140 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Budgets (10 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Extracts of Budgets and Estimates material from 2010 to 2015 are set out for the Deputy's information. These extracts list the main features of each Budget in relation to my Department, including details of measures that reduced expenditure in each year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (10 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that Budget 2011 provided for a number of student grant measures, which came into effect for the 2011/12, including the change in the assessment of the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant from 24 kilometres to 45 kilometres. The 24 km distance criterion was originally set in 1968. Since then, significant improvements have taken place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (10 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Major Building Project referred to is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b - Detailed Design which includes applications for planning permission, Fire Safety Certification, Disability Access Certification and the preparation of tender documents. All statutory approvals have been received. A report regarding cost adjustments has been received in my Department and is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Primary Online Database (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The only field on the Primary Online Database (POD) that relates to the mother is mother's maiden name. This is only required if PPSN is not supplied to help identify the pupil, and this field will be removed from the Department's records when confirmation of a valid PPSN is received. All other fields on POD relate to the pupil only. Schools have recently been informed it is no longer...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy has submitted an application for large scale funding for additional accommodation including for special needs. The application is currently being considered by my Department. Officials from my Department will be in contact with the Management Authority of the school shortly and in that context a meeting at this time is not considered necessary.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy may be aware of the Report of the International Review Panel on the Structure of Initial Teacher Education (Sahlberg Report) published in 2012, which set out new structures for the provision of initial teacher education and is part of my Department's broader policy position on system reconfiguration, inter-institutional collaboration and system governance in Irish Higher Education....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Services Staff (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware the economic circumstances of the country were such that a staffing moratorium was introduced across the public sector by the previous Government in 2009. Currently the moratorium in the public service remains in place and community and comprehensive schools are subject to it. Accordingly, the Department of Education and Skills is not in a position to sanction...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Charges (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Exchequer provides free fees funding in respect of eligible students who are attending full-time undergraduate approved courses of study under my Department's free fees schemes. Under the schemes students must be 'attending' courses in order for that course to be considered an approved course. Online courses, therefore by their definition are not considered approved courses under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, the school to which he refers has submitted a major capital application to my Department that involves the replacement of an existing school building, the provision of a new school building extension and substantial refurbishment works. The school were advised that the Department was not in position to indicate when a major project for the school can be progressed,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a site visit in respect of the schools in question was undertaken in December 2014. In the past week, my Departments technical staff revisited the schools to gather further information and the position is currently being considered. My Department will be in contact with the school authority concerned shortly to discuss the next steps in respect of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that I recently announced I am not proposing to change the way teachers are allocated to schools to support children with Special Educational Needs for the coming school year. In taking this decision, I have been guided by the advice of the NCSE Working Group report, which recommended sufficient time be allowed for consultation before the new model is implemented....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Further to my response to question no. 2756/15 of 20th January 2015 the Deputy will be aware that, in common with many other psychological services and best international practice, NEPS has 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts is published annually 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 previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements also include an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Health and Safety (5 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has no record of receiving any correspondence relating to the matter in question. In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. In the case of some existing schools, the provision of adequate on-site parking may be compromised by...

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: I welcome the opportunity to discuss the 2015 Estimate with the committee. My officials provided some background briefing material for the committee, so I propose to keep this opening statement brief. However, I am happy, together with Minister of State, Deputy English, to provide further details as we work our way through the various programmes that make up the Estimate. Expenditure in...

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: They are covered later in the capital programmes.

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: Will I answer now or wait?

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will reply directly to Deputy O'Brien. He is correct. The figure is €8.5 million. The saving is actually €3.3 million, but we bring in the demographics as well.

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: Deputy O'Brien raised the issue of NEPS psychologists yesterday during Question Time. He indicated, as did I, that there was an increase in numbers. He asked about the position for people who were out sick and so on. I do not actually have that information and I will have to come back to him on that. Deputy O'Brien will appreciate that this information is changing constantly.

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)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes, it is.