Results 7,021-7,040 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: I have already made it clear to the Higher Education Authority that it is not acceptable for students to be placed at any disadvantage because of any delays. In response to Deputy Troy's contribution, I must point out that it is not my role to communicate directly with individual colleges in this regard. The intermediary is the Higher Education Authority, to which I have written on a number...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Let me just describe the process of how we arrived at SUSI. We invited expressions of interest from all of the grant-awarding public sector agencies in taking the lead role and becoming the sole grant-awarding agency. The principle of having one agency to do this work was accepted by everybody, both in opposition and in government. Subsequent to the change of government on 11 March 2011, I...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputies have raised a legitimate issue in a responsible way and I am responding in that manner. Most of us in the House this evening have already received our education. We are talking about students who are struggling now, in very difficult times, when trying to get alternative finance by way of a loan is extremely difficult. I am acutely conscious of that. What we want to do...

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

Ruairi Quinn: My own party colleagues and the Fine Gael Deputies acknowledge that it is not working the way we had hoped. If there are mistakes in the system, I assure Deputy O'Brien that it is easy for me to say I did not make them, but I am responsible.

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

Ruairi Quinn: Clearly it is not working as well as we had hoped and we have to learn from that. There is nothing wrong with saying that it has not worked as well as we had hoped and we have to learn lessons from that.

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

Ruairi Quinn: My approach to this is twofold. First, let us fix the problem and get the confirmation and grants out to all eligible applicants so that they can draw down the money. Second, let us go back, having done that, and examine what went wrong. I do not want to have an inquiry in the middle of trying to solve the problem.

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

Ruairi Quinn: I move amendment No. 2:To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following:"notes that: — the annual cost of attending college increased by over 950% during Fianna Fáil’s time in office, from €190 in 1996-97 to €2,000 in 2011-12, effectively bringing to an end the era of free third level education in Ireland; — sixty-six bodies...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I commented on it this morning.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The person referred to by the Deputy was an employee of the Board of Management of the Limerick Model School. The Board of Management has made an application, under the terms of the Superannuation Act 1887, seeking to award the individual concerned a gratuity payment on retirement. My officials are liaising with officials of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform with a view to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 257 and 284 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, which I requested, was to identify new possible structures to improve initial teacher education in Ireland so that it is comparable with the best in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded a grant and an award letter issued on 2nd November, 2012.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that a major capital works application was submitted to my Department in respect of a new school for the proposed amalgamation of the schools referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 260 and 261 together.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 262 to 264, inclusive, and 292 together.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Courses (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As I have previously indicated to the Deputy in response to recent question on this subject, the provisional postgraduate enrolment data for 2012/13 will not be available until mid December 2012 at the earliest. The most recent data available on entrants to postgraduate courses is for 2011/12. Data for 2010/11 and 2011/12, as previously supplied, shows that 1st year enrolments for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware Friday 9th November was the closing date for completion of this survey. My Department will now prepare a detailed report on the survey outcomes which will then be reviewed by the New Schools Establishment Group. This report will be done in a manner that fully respects the confidentiality and data protection rights of all those who respond, and will deal with validation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bullying in Schools (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Alongside the Anti-Bullying Forum which took place in May 2012, I established a working group to examine issues related to tackling all forms and types of bullying in schools. As you are probably aware, there is a specific commitment in the Programme for Government to address the very serious issue of homophobic bullying in schools and this is part of the working groups remit. I invited...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 269, 306 and 307 together. Up until last year, students applied to their local authority or VEC for their grants. Some 66 grant awarding authorities were involved, all using a variety of application, assessment and payment processes. Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) replaces all of these with a centralised, and on-line system of application. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 and 271 together. The matters raised by the Deputy fall within the responsibilities of the Governing Authority of the University to deal with. In this regard the Disability Act 2005 requires that all public bodies ensure that public buildings are, as far as practicable, made accessible to people with disabilities not later than 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy in respect of agencies is not held centrally by my Department. The awarding of contracts, the expenditure incurred, and the procurement arrangements by agencies under the aegis of my Department is an operational matter for the agencies themselves. If the Deputy has an interest in a particular agency then officials in my Department will request the...