Results 6,521-6,540 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government has protected frontline services in schools to the greatest extent possible in the recent budget and there will no reduction in teacher numbers in primary schools and in free second level schools for the 2013/14 school year as a result of the budget. The DEIS scheme for disadvantaged schools is also fully protected with no overall changes to staffing levels or funding as a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Registration Fee (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In order to estimate the potential savings arising from the 3% reduction in income thresholds for the 2013/14 academic year announced in the Budget, an analysis of the available information on the reckonable incomes of students currently in receipt of a grant was utilised. However, in order to carry out the exercise requested by the Deputy, related to the estimation of the potential cost...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The objective of the Student Assistance Fund is to assist students, in a sensitive and compassionate manner, who might otherwise, due to their financial circumstances, be unable to continue their third level studies. The Fund is managed by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on behalf of my Department and is administered by the individual third level institutions. My Department has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans at present to negotiate a State-guaranteed loan scheme for postgraduate students with the credit unions.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy a decision has now been made and a letter will issue directly to the student outlining the position in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications from the 2012/13 academic year is a matter for the new centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The student referred to by the Deputy had his application cancelled by SUSI as it was incomplete. On 7th November, 2012 a letter was issued by SUSI to the student informing him that his...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As announced in the Budget, the income thresholds for student grants will be reduced by 3% for the 2013/14 academic year. This change will not affect Special Rate students, who are the most vulnerable category of students in receipt of grant support.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a revised grant award letter issued on 11th December 2012 outlining the level of award including the decision in relation to her fees.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, her student grant application was unsuccessful and that she appealed the decision to the appeals officer in SUSI and their original decision was upheld. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has not interpreted the scheme correctly in his/her...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Contracts (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department procures a broad spectrum of goods, services and works in support of its role in administering the wider education sector. These goods, services and works are not procured centrally. Rather they are procured by many different business units and, in accordance with national and European Union procurement procedures, the method of procurement varies depending on the value of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Service (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that an official from my Department's National Educational Psychological Service has been in communication with the authorities in St. Pauls Secondary School in relation to the student referred to in his question, in order to assess the need and appropriateness of undertaking an educational psychological assessment. I shall revert to the Deputy when a determination is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Computerisation Programme (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As you will be aware, integrating ICT into teaching and learning in schools is a major priority for this Government. My Department's ICT in Schools programme sets out a clear agenda to be pursued in this regard, focusing on four main priorities: ICT Infrastructure in schools, the Schools Broadband Scheme, the development of teacher skills, and the provision of curriculum-relevant digital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, his student grant application was unsuccessful and that she appealed the decision to the appeals officer in SUSI and their original decision was upheld. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has not interpreted the scheme correctly in his/her...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Details of the savings measures for the Education and Skills Vote announced as part of Budget 2013 are available on my Department's website as follows: Details of the 2013 Budget skeleton for the Education and Skills Vote, in both the new Performance Budgeting format and the old format, are at: . In addition, 'The Department of Public Expenditure & Reform Expenditure Report 2013',...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Back to Education Allowance Payments (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Back to Education Allowance and decisions in relation to funding for that scheme are a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Social Protection. Officials in my Department are in ongoing contact with officials in the Department of Social Protection in relation to issues affecting learners who are also clients of that Department.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Education Committees (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I want to clarify for the Deputy that while the budget measure I announced in relation to VEC funding involves a reduction in the allocation for 2013 it is not a cut in real terms. This is because it takes account of the capacity of VECs to utilise cash balances on a once off basis.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take questions 85 and 86 together. As announced in the Budget, the income thresholds for student grants will be reduced by 3% for the 2013/14 academic year. Between 1997 and 2009, the income limits were increased by 82%. The income limits have remained unchanged over the past three years due to the absence of data from the CSO, but data now indicates that average wages have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing arrangements in small primary schools are considerably more favourable than other medium to larger schools. The measure that was announced in Budget 2012 is focused on dealing with this cost premium, on a phased basis, through progressively increasing the pupil thresholds for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. This budget measure relates to the number...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a fee grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 4th December 2012. Under the Student Grant Scheme this student is not eligible for a maintenance grant as he is in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance (BTEA).

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (12 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland that, in the case of the student referred to by the Deputy, a grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 11th December 2012.