Results 7,001-7,020 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Assessments (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS), or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are on the Department's website. Where a NEPS psychologist is not assigned to a school, authorities therein may...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCSE has notified all schools of their allocation for the 2012/13 school year of resource hours for low incidence special needs. The arrangements for how schools access these resource hours in teaching posts are set out in the Department Staffing Circular 0007/2012. Under these arrangements a network of over 2,500 full-time resource posts has been put in place in close to 1,700 base...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I formally established Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) on Tuesday 6 November. This involved the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC). Significant work has been completed by those bodies on core administrative preparations for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The salaries of teachers employed within the approved annual staffing allocation for fee charging schools by my Department, are paid by the State; an arrangement that pre-dates the introduction of the Free Education scheme and which exists since the foundation of the State. The estimated cost of these posts is in the order of €100m. The Deputy will be aware that I announced a review...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Delays (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that in the case of the first student referred to by the Deputy a grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 13th November, 2012. In the case of the second student referred to by the Deputy a grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 12th November, 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (14 Nov 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 grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 13th November, 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that on review further supporting documentation is needed from the student referred to by the Deputy and this is being requested from the student. When the documentation is returned to SUSI the student will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The student grant scheme includes provision for grants to eligible students pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of at least two years duration in publicly-funded institutions in other EU member states. However, the student grant scheme does not extend to postgraduate study outside of Ireland. I have no plans to change the current arrangements. Any such proposal would have to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (14 Nov 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 grant has been awarded and an award letter issued on 7th November, 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 123 and 124 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools and the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Energy Conservation (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: For the past 15 years the Planning and Building Unit of my Department have been using a process called the DART approach to develop sustainability and energy efficiency in educational buildings. This acronym focuses on four key areas, namely; Design, Awareness, Research and Technology. The policy is informed by the Building Unit Professional and Technical staff, driven by its technical...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. Where a grant application is refused, the reason for the refusal is given by the grant awarding authority. An applicant may appeal that decision to the appeals officer in the relevant awarding authority. Where the appeals officer decides to reject the appeal, the applicant may appeal...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Reform (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Public Service Reform the following were identified for rationalisation:- - The merger of the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology & Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Science into consolidated single council under HEA; - The amalgamation of Further Education and Training Awards (FETAC), Higher Education and Training Award Council...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 128 and 129 together. Every primary school is, in accordance with section 18 of the Education Act 1998, required to keep all proper and usual accounts and records of all monies received by it or expenditure of such monies incurred by it and must ensure that in each year all such accounts are properly audited or certified in accordance with best accounting...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Promotions (14 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has had no promotions to Principal Officer Standard Scale, Assistant Principal Officer Higher Scale, Assistant Principal Officer Standard Scale, Higher Executive Officer Standard Scale, Executive Officer Standard Scale, or Staff Officer Standard Scale in any of the years 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012. Two Principal Officers Standard Scale were assigned to the Principal Officer...

Education Funding: Motion [Private Members] (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I would love to say that I am satisfied but I cannot do so because I do not know. I have spoken with the chief executive of SUSI, Jacinta Stewart, and I heard all the questions that members of the committee put to her. She was accompanied by just two officials to assist her in responding to questions. My priority is to ensure that every student who is entitled to a grant and has applied...

Education Funding: Motion [Private Members] (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There was no reason for me to intervene.

Education Funding: Motion [Private Members] (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Some day Deputy McConalogue will be standing over here as a Minister, and I wish him well in that regard. When he occupies this position, he will find that he cannot have overall responsibility for his Department at the same time as supervising its day-to-day operations. He will need to delegate authority and management. One responds to organisations when they request additional resources...

Education Funding: Motion [Private Members] (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I accept that the Chair, acting as the referee, cannot interfere with the game. Perhaps it is the democrat in me but I would sooner have a dialogue than allow people to make speeches to each other. I listened carefully to what Deputy McConalogue had to say on behalf of Fianna Fáil. I also listened to Deputy Martin, who left a number of hostages to fortune given his record in this...

Education Funding: Motion [Private Members] (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The objective was to make it better, however.