Results 6,881-6,900 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government is committed to delivering a wide ranging reform programme in higher education to enhance the quality of research, teaching and engagement. Restructuring the system and in particular the establishment of Technological Universities forms a key part of the reform programme. As you are aware, recently Waterford IT announced that they were suspending moves towards merger with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the total capital funding issued in the period 2009 to 2014 in respect of the schools referred to by the Deputy amounted to over €420,000 in the case of the first named school and to over €225,000 in the case of the other school.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In 2013 my Department approved a devolved grant to provide additional accommodation at the school to which the Deputy refers. The project is at an advanced stage and is nearing completion. My Department is currently analysing the latest demographic data on a nationwide basis to determine where additional post-primary school accommodation might be needed from 2016 onwards. This process...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Administration (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware that my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. To ensure that this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demand nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 527 and 528 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department's policy focuses on ensuring that all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs and abilities. A range of placement options for pupils with special educational needs is provided, in order to ensure that all pupils can receive a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The policy of my Department is to ensure, as far as possible, that the Managerial Authorities of schools give priority to unemployed registered teachers who are fully qualified when filling vacant teaching posts. It is schools that employ teachers and not my Department. However my Department has issued a number of Circulars addressing this issue in recent years. Under these Circulars...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: While it is intended that the school to which the Deputy refers will be located in the North Wicklow area, the school is being established to meet a demographic demand in the Bray, Kilternan and Ballybrack/Shankill school feeder areas. Priority in the school's enrolment policy will be required to be given to pupils from those areas. It would be expected that this will be reflected in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Campuses (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The delivery of the proposed new Education Campus in Carrigaline, Co Cork has been devolved to Cork Education & Training Board. The project was recently approved to proceed to Stage 2b (Detailed Design), which involves obtaining planning permission, fire certificate, disability access certificate and the completion of tender documents. Subject to the planning process it is...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Language School Accreditation (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The judgment in relation to legal proceedings challenging some aspects of the planned reforms to international education was received last week. The range of options that are available to progress the reforms in a manner consistent with the High Court decision and without prejudice to a possible appeal are being considered by the Department of Justice and Equality in conjunction with my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools (DEIS) is the subject of ongoing evaluation by both the Educational Research Centre (ERC) and the Inspectorate of my Department, the reports of which are available on my Department's website – A consolidated report on DEIS commissioned in 2014 is currently underway. This report will incorporate information in relation to the various...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 534 and 535 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that total capital funding to the schools referred to by the Deputy in the period 2007 to 2014 amounted to over €1.05 million in one school and over €620,000 in the case of the other school. In the case of the first school, the amount issued included over €0.8 million in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the schools referred to by the Deputy, is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project has been authorised to proceed to Stage 2B of Architectural Planning, which includes the applications for Planning Permission, Fire Cert and Disability Access Cert and the preparation of Tender Documents. It is not possible to progress all...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As of the 14th of January 2015, SUSI has confirmed that a total of 71,909 applicants have been awarded their grant. Of this figure a total of 67,443 applicants have been paid their grant and 4,466 have yet to be paid. At any one point in time, the number of students awarded a grant is likely to be somewhat higher than the number of students in receipt of a grant payment. Delays can...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: As of the 31st of December 2014, SUSI has confirmed that a total of 70,249 applicants have been awarded their grant. Of this figure a total of 66,159 applicants have been paid their grant and 4,090 have yet to be paid. As of the 14th of January 2015, SUSI has confirmed that a total of 71,909 applicants have been awarded their grant. Of this figure a total of 67,443 applicants have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing and redeployment arrangements for schools for the 2015/16 school year are currently underway in my Department. These arrangements, including the staffing schedule for primary schools for the 2015/16 school year, will be published in the coming weeks. This will enable schools to determine their staffing levels for that school year. The Deputy will be aware that staffing...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is open to schools to submit applications for funding under the Additional Accommodation Scheme for funding to meet an immediate accommodation requirement because of increased enrolments and where an additional teacher is being appointed. The relevant application form concerned may be accessed on my Department's website at www.education.ie Details of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: In Ireland, given the number of relatively small schools that have four teachers or fewer, multi-grade classes are the norm in the majority of our primary schools. This position is reflected in the centrally-devised Primary School Curriculum (1999) which articulates a progressive and developmental learning experience for our pupils. General guidance and advice for teachers are provided in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: On 8th January, 2015 the school referred to by the Deputy was sanctioned a devolved grant under my Department's Additional Accommodation Scheme to provide a Resource Room. The school has recently submitted an application for funding for sewerage works under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme. This application is currently being assessed and the school authorities will be notified of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Government recently committed, as part of the budget announcements made last year, to provide for 365 new Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts to support children with special educational needs in schools in 2015, bringing the total number of SNAs available for allocation in 2015 to 11,330 posts. This is the highest level of SNA allocation that we have...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Educational Psychological Service Administration (20 Jan 2015)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) provides educational psychology service to all primary and post primary schools through an assigned NEPS psychologist and in some cases through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Under this scheme schools can have an...