Results 6,681-6,700 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware in June of last year I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established up to 2017 to cater for increasing demographics across a number of locations. These consisted of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools. This announcement did not include a proposal to establish any new school in the area referred to by the Deputy. However, the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The project for Temple Carrig Secondary School Greystones has been included on the five year construction programme to progress to tender and construction in 2013. The school is scheduled to receive its first intake of students in September 2014. The school will accommodate 750 pupils when completed and will be located in Blacklion, Greystones. This school will serve the Greystones...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Languages Programme (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing appeal process at primary level includes the provision whereby schools with high concentration of pupils requiring English as an additional language (EAL) can apply for additional temporary language support posts. These EAL allocations are made on the basis of appeals by schools to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board. The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Educational Provision (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is committed to advancing co-operation and common action in education between Ireland and Northern Ireland, and takes forward this co-operation through the North/South Ministerial Council. Within that framework common policies in four designated areas of co-operation are developed and co-ordinated: special education needs, educational underachievement, teacher mobility, and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Contacts between my Department and the Department of Employment and Learning in Northern Ireland have involved bilateral meetings at Ministerial and official levels, and communications between the Departments concerning areas of common interest in further and higher education. These contacts are ongoing.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Cross-Border Co-operation (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department funds a number of projects which have a cross-border dimension and include among their objectives increasing mutual understanding and advancing peace and reconciliation on the island of Ireland. Details of these joint programmes are set out in the attached table. In addition to these ongoing programmes, the Department of Education and Skills and the Department of Education,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not intend to give any specific commitment on future budgetary decisions. This is a matter that I will have to consider with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the next budget and meeting our obligations under the EU/IMF Programme. However, it is my intention to protect front-line provision, including that in DEIS schools, to the greatest extent possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (4 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, its original decision was upheld and the student was notified on 3rd December 2012. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains of the view that SUSI has not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that further supporting documentation was received from the student referred to by the Deputy on the 24th November 2012 and that her application will be reviewed shortly. SUSI will contact the student directly in relation to the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Equality Tribunal Cases (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand from FÁS that a case was settled in advance of an Employment Appeals Tribunal hearing and that a payment was made by the employer (Board of the Community Training Centre). The details of the settlement are subject to a confidential legally binding agreement signed by both parties. The funding for the settlement was found from within the existing resources of the Community...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government's Public Service Reform Plan recognises the key strategic importance of public procurement and provides for the development of a new policy framework for procurement. The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform has recently notified Departments and public bodies of the mandatory requirement to use central contracts, put in place by the National Procurement Service (NPS),...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (4 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 he appealed the decision to the appeals officer in SUSI on 30th November 2012. SUSI aims to issue determinations as promptly as possible and within the specified timeframes defined in the Student Support Act, 2011. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 226 and 228 together. I have accepted the recommendations set out in a report commissioned by the Higher Education Authority (HEA) on the structures of initial teacher education. The purpose of the report was to identify possible new structures to improve initial teacher education in Ireland so that it is comparable with the best in the world. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Guidance Counsellors (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's standard approach for helping to deal with particularly acute incidents in schools such as those highlighted by the school referred to by the Deputy is to provide some short-term support.In this regard I wish to confirm that my Department has approved some short term additional support for the school and the school management has been notified accordingly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (4 Dec 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is currently considering an application for capital funding for an additional Mainstream Classroom from the school referred to by the Deputy. In this regard, my Department has been liaising with the school concerned and it will be in further contact with the school when a decision has been made.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (29 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of the above, I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Reform (29 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 85 to 87, inclusive, together. In January 2011, my Department issued an Expressions of Interest invitation to local authorities, VECs and other public bodies interested in taking on administrative responsibility for the centralised student grants awarding and payments function. The criteria used to evaluate the proposals were set out in the Expressions of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Application Numbers (29 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The following table provides a breakdown on a county basis of the number of students who have been awarded a student grant and the numbers who received payment of their student maintenance grants as at the 23rd November, 2012 from Student Universal Support Ireland. The data has been supplied to my Department by SUSI. SUSI is continuing to make payments on a weekly basis to ensure students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (29 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Article 15(8) of the Student Grant Scheme 2012, SI No. 189 of 2012, provides the awarding authorities with discretion to consider funding for repeat periods of study in exceptional circumstances, in line with guidelines drawn up by the Minister. The guidelines issued to the awarding authorities on 15 August 2012. The guidelines outline the matters that may be taken into account by an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Statistics (29 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There were 3,297 Department Aided Primary Schools operational in the 2012/2013 academic year (including Special Schools). Of these 665 were DEIS schools. It should be noted that data coverage of private, fee-paying primary schools that are not financially aided by the Department is not complete, as there is no requirement for such schools to make detailed statistical returns to the...