Results 6,881-6,900 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My new Framework for Junior Cycle will allow schools to provide a programme to meet the needs of their students. Assessment will be a key component to supporting quality teaching and learning outcomes across the 3 years of Junior Cycle and will provide on-going high quality feedback to students and their parents. Assessment in the Junior Cycle is no longer high-stakes since in reality the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Future Skills Needs (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 268 together. The Expert Group on Future Skills Needs, funded by my Department, plays a key role in advising on future skills needs. Its research provides a valuable input to the development of course curricula and has also informed the development of new competitive funding models of provision to address emerging skills needs. More than 10,000...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In order to ensure that all targets are met by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) a number of measures have been put in place to speed up the process of awarding student grants. This includes the provision of additional staffing in both the assessment unit and the outsourced document management unit. Weekly maintenance payment runs are in place and a range of processing efficiencies are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Detailed planning for the implementation of the Framework for Junior Cycle is underway in my Department. Teachers will receive professional development in educational assessment, including processes of moderation, and providing feedback to students. Continuing professional development (CPD) will be provided on a phased basis in line with the roll out of curriculum changes in each subject....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, the closing date for completion of these surveys in the five pilot areas was last Friday, 9 November. In the Arklow survey there were 384 responses representing 706 children.The Castlebar survey had 465 responses representing 932 children.The Tramore survey had 276 responses representing 563 children.The Trim survey had 300 responses representing 588 children and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that a number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have been commenced. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) made recommendations which suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Reform (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that, following agreement in principle by the Government to broaden the current means testing arrangements for student grants by way of inclusion of the value of capital assets, I set up a dedicated implementation group to bring forward detailed proposals for implementation in 2013. I have received a draft report from the implementation group. This is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Working Group which I established alongside the Forum of 17 May this year, to examine issues related to tackling bullying in schools, including homophobic bullying, racist bullying and cyber bullying, is progressing with its task of producing an action plan to map the way forward. The Group has been considering the outcomes and recommendations from the Forum, along with the submissions...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 125 and 155 together. I am cognisant of the importance of schools to rural communities. Given our recent population growth we will have a much increased enrolment at all levels of education which is expected to continue in the medium term. Many pupil places are required in areas that currently have no school provision at all and we have schools in areas of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Procurement Rules (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Universities are autonomous institutions and my Department does not have any function in their operational affairs, including tendering, for which the Governing Bodies and the management staff are responsible. However, officials of my Department have made enquiries and I understand that when the university needs to obtain external legal advice it does so from a panel of law firms. The Code...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Expenditure (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In January 2011, the Department issued an Expression of Interest invitation to the VECs, local authorities or other public bodies who might be interested in taking on administrative responsibility for the centralised student grants awarding and payments function. A total of 10 proposals were received. These proposals were examined by an independent selection panel against the evaluation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Retirements (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Due to the unique circumstances surrounding the public service retirement package this year, it was difficult to forecast an exact cost of superannuation payments on my Vote for 2012. Higher numbers of retirements than projected will result in excess expenditure on the relevant subheads. The final amount of this excess, and any other excesses on the Vote, will not be known until year-end....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is not possible to anticipate future budgetary decisions. This Government, however, remains committed to the protection of frontline services for pupils with special educational needs. Approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department – some €1.3 billion – was spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, all new applications for the 2012/13 academic year are being processed and paid by SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority. SUSI as at the 16 November, 2012 paid student grants to some 4,420 students. SUSI is continuing to make payments on a weekly basis to ensure students can get paid their grant as expeditiously as possible, once they have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, all new applications for the 2012/13 academic year are being processed and paid by SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority. SUSI as at the 16 November, 2012 paid student grants to some 4,420 students. SUSI is continuing to make payments on a weekly basis to ensure students can get paid their grant as expeditiously as possible, once they have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Information and Communications Technology (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The curriculum in schools is devised on the basis that ICT is a tool to be embedded into the teaching and learning of all subjects and therefore in all schools. A recent report by my Department's Inspectorate found that there is a trend towards the greater incorporation of ICT into classroom activities in our primary schools. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has developed...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, all new applications for the 2012/13 academic year are being processed and paid by SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority. Continuing students who are renewing their grant for attendance on an existing course with their existing awarding authority, which will be either a local authority or a VEC, will continue to have their applications processed and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has a formal role under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 in advising me in relation to any matter relating to the education of children and others with disabilities. I have asked the NCSE to provide me with comprehensive advice on how the educational system currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Reform (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that, following agreement in principle by the Government to broaden the current means testing arrangements for student grants by way of inclusion of the value of capital assets, I set up a dedicated implementation group to bring forward detailed proposals for implementation in 2013. I have received a draft report from the implementation group. This is currently...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (20 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts to schools, which is available on the Department website, includes the provision whereby schools experiencing rapid increases in enrolment can apply for additional permanent mainstream posts on developing grounds, using projected enrolment. Additional temporary EAL (language) support posts are provided, as necessary, to schools that have...