Results 6,181-6,200 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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: There was a drop between 2013 and 2014, but the Estimate for this year is higher because we are actually recruiting.

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: We can give the Deputy the actual figures. Earlier I gave the figures for this year, but we can get the Deputy the figures for other years. The number of psychologists is to rise from 168 to 173. There are interviews taking place at present.

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 will mean we have reached the number required for access for all schools.

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: There were 168 at the start of this year, or the end of last year.

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: We will get the details for the Deputy.

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: We have covered everything. I thank the members for their questions and comments. The discussion was very wide-ranging. The members have strong views on the importance of education in general and certain elements in particular.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that under the existing allocation system, all pupils with Down syndrome, including pupils with mild general learning difficulties, are entitled to receive additional teaching support. Support is provided from a school's General Allocation Model (GAM) hours, or from an allocation of additional resource teacher hours allocated to schools by the NCSE. In the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Letters outlining details of the redundancy position for the personnel referred to by the Deputy are currently being prepared by my Department. It is expected that the letters will be issued to the individuals within the next week.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Teaching Council, the State's regulatory body for the teaching profession, sets out clear standards for entry to the profession including standards of practice that relate to the personal well-being and development of students. The teacher's role in the holistic development of all students is clearly threaded throughout the Council's Code of Professional Conduct for Teachers. Initial...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department does not hold the type of information sought by the Deputy in relation to school based counselling services. Since September 2012 at post primary level guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. Guidance is a whole school activity and schools have autonomy on how best to prioritise their available resources to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm that the student to which the Deputy refers, has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal will be heard within the timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011. The student will be notified directly of the outcome of the appeal.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought is being compiled at present and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The negotiations in respect of the proposed site to which the Deputy refers was between the school authority and the local land owner/developer. However, agreement could not be reached in the relation to the local land owner/developers proposal which also involved a build and lease back arrangement, and the proposal could not be progressed further.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme are available for downloading...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that officials from my Department are currently working closely with officials from Galway County Council in relation to the acquisition of a suitable site to facilitate the provision of a new school building for the school to which he refers. I can confirm that the site acquisition process is advancing. When the site has been acquired, officials from my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Child Abuse Reports (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The primary statutory responsibility for child protection lies with the Child and Family Agency. My Department has no role in assessing or investigating child protection concerns. Its role is to refer any allegations it receives to the appropriate authorities and to do so without making judgment on same. There is no requirement on the school authorities to report to the Department allegations...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Labour Court Recommendations (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Implementation of the Labour Court Recommendation cannot be considered separately as an internal job evaluation exercise carried out by Price Waterhouse Coopers was intended to establish the correct rate of pay for the grades in the Tyndall National Institute. At the outset the parties agreed that the conclusions of the job evaluation exercise could be appealed on an individual basis to an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (4 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table. For the Deputy's information, under revised procedures put in place in late 2014, the process for filling vacancies on State boards under the aegis of the Department, through ministerial appointment or nomination, is now normally managed by the Public Appointments Service (PAS), whereby applications are made through the...

Other Questions: Education Standards (3 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: While no specific assessment, as referred to by the Deputy - although she did not use the term "austerity" in her question - has been done we measure education standards through published national and international assessment and monitoring of standards. In this regard, I have welcomed the recently published report on the 2014 national assessments of English reading and mathematics, which...

Other Questions: Education Standards (3 Mar 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In the last two years, teacher numbers are up by 2,300 posts and the number of SNAs and resource teachers is up by 1,700. For the first time, we had an increase in the overall education budget last October. That is an indication of progress. We have gone through very difficult times, but we have turned the corner. Perhaps that indicates that some credit should be given to the Government...