Results 6,141-6,160 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Suspension (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I take it that the Deputy is referring to the emergency fund of €10 million. An emergency has to be an emergency in the first instance. A case was reported in the newspapers before Christmas of a school that was not properly heated because the principal did not have the money for repairs. The school in question had not applied for any kind of grant for the heating system. When I...

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement Review (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: It would not be appropriate that I comment on discussions with public service unions which are ongoing under the aegis of the Labour Relations Commission. The Deputy will be aware that the previous Government imposed a pay reduction of 10% on new entrants to the public service, and also decided that new entrants should enter on the first point of the relevant scale. This resulted in a...

Other Questions: Croke Park Agreement Review (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I am not going to comment on ongoing negotiations which have only just commenced. It would not help the successful outcome of those negotiations or accelerate their coming to a conclusion. Young trainee accountants and solicitors and other people who have recently qualified from formal college have gone into the private sector at salaries that are considerably less than what prevailed...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Suspension (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: When the minor works grant last issued in November 2011 for the school year 2011-12, I stated that, given the need to focus on meeting the demand for additional school places, it was unlikely that funding would be available for the minor works grant in the coming years. This is borne out by the fact that, in 2012, some 85% of the capital expenditure in the school sector was in respect of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Suspension (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I regret I had to make the choice between ensuring net additional accommodation was available for the increasing number of young people who continue to be born in this country and the maintenance of older schools in need of repair. The old saying, "A stitch in time saves nine", comes immediately to mind. Early intervention in many cases will reduce or remove the need for more substantial...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Redeployment (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision I took last year, somewhat reluctantly, was to mainstream guidance counsellors in post-primary schools. In some cases this had no impact on the overall allocation because the size of the school was such that full-time counsellors continued in their positions. Where smaller secondary schools were involved, a decision was made by the principals about the best allocation of scarce...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Redeployment (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is misrepresenting what I decided in the previous budget. I have mainstreamed guidance counsellor teachers within the overall allocation of teachers to post-primary schools. I have entrusted the redeployment or deployment of that resource, both the subject teacher who is also a guidance teacher, to the principal or the deputy principal of the school as they see fit. That is a...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: There has been no reduction in front-line services in this year’s budget, in particular for DEIS schools. There are increasing pressures across the system because of the economic circumstances in which we find ourselves. As a former national school teacher himself, Deputy McGrath is aware that the majority of disadvantaged young people are not necessarily in DEIS schools. There are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, enrolment is taken in October in the primary school system. Entitlements to additional supports and teacher allocation are based on those figures. If there are changes from one year to another, then they obviously have an impact on entitlement. If enrolment falls in October of year one compared to year zero, that can affect to a partial or more significant extent...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Redeployment (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I will arrange for officials of my Department to be briefed by the Institute of Guidance Counsellors on its recent survey. I have already acknowledged to the House, and previously to the Institute of Guidance Counsellors, that bringing guidance provision within quota is challenging for schools. However, the alternative was adjusting the pupil-teacher ratio, PTR, staffing allocations. All...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Please do.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: All I can say is that this is the first year of the system's roll-out. We have encountered problems and are trying to solve them. If the Deputy has specific cases, such as those he just cited, I would like to get the details from him to pursue the issue earnestly.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: We are finalising the review's terms of reference and composition and how it will proceed. I want all of SUSI's attention to be devoted to processing outstanding applications before we get into a review of how adequately prepared SUSI was and whether it had accurately anticipated the scale of what needed to be done. Everyone, including SUSI, admits that there are operational problems. I...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Disadvantaged Status (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Education is a priority for the Government and we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students in disadvantaged areas. The Government has protected DEIS resources provided by my Department, with no overall changes to DEIS-related staffing levels or DEIS funding as a result of budget 2013. As part of the DEIS programme, a total of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy raised a number of issues which I will answer as best I can with the information I have on hand. Of the live applications where documentation is still outstanding, approximately half of applicants returned incomplete documentation, while the other half were requested to submit supplementary documentation arising from the assessment of their applications. On the basis that the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not have the precise figure to hand, although I believe the information the Deputy seeks is provided in a subsequent reply. I hope to be able to provide it by the end of Question Time and, if not, I will circulate it to the Deputy as soon as possible. Based on a briefing I received yesterday, I understand that in many cases while the documentation submitted to Student Universal Support...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: As requested by the Deputy, I am providing a breakdown, in tabular form, of the 2,622 third level students on a county basis who have been awarded a maintenance grant and are now due to be paid by Student Universal Support Ireland. Some 1,148 post-leaving certificate course students are also due to be paid. The majority of these students awaiting payment will be paid within the next two...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from Student Universal Support Ireland, SUSI, that grants processing is largely up to date and that completed applications are now being dealt with as they come in. The majority of the 3,700 students currently awaiting payment will be paid within the next two weeks, depending on their submission of bank account details. Some 47,674 decisions have been made, compared with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (22 Jan 2013)

Ruairi Quinn: Decisions on course deferrals are an issue between the student and the relevant higher education institution. Institutions have different rules on the particular circumstances that may be considered as reasons for a deferral. As the Deputy will appreciate, higher education institutions are autonomous bodies. As such, the governing authority of each institution is responsble for the...