Results 7,041-7,060 of 13,254 for speaker:Seán Sherlock

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Twenty-two minutes.

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: When will we move to the next item of business?

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the Acting Chairman. I do not plan to take that much time. I welcome the funding of approximately €900 million for the M20 Cork to Limerick route. All affected, including the chambers of commerce in Cork and Limerick, which did much work on this issue in terms of making submissions, various community groups, businesses and individuals who travel the route every day for...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: I acknowledge that but I ask that there be a greater interrogation of what it means for those who need access to mental health services. I am very conscious that there three Members are due to contribute in this slot and that we only have a finite amount of time. In that context, those are the three main issues I wish to address. My final point relates to my home town, Mallow. I am glad...

Project Ireland 2040: Statements (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Actors.

Committee on Public Petitions: Business of Committee (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: I thank the witnesses for coming in. There are the usual provisos in respect of mobile phones. I will just turn my own to airplane mode. I propose we go into private session to deal with a number of housekeeping matters before returning to public session.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: The next item on the agenda is engagement with officials from the State Examinations Commission and the Department of Education and Skills. Before we begin, I remind members, witnesses and persons in the Public Gallery to switch their phones to airplane mode please. I welcome, from the State Examinations Commission, Mr. Aidan Farrell, chief executive officer and Dr. Tim Desmond, acting head...

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: I understand that approximately 60,000 people completed the examination.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Plus four individual complaints were made about time constraints.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Was there a geographical spread in terms of the four complaints? Did they come from one entity?

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Mr. Farrell's colleagues can also respond to my queries.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: It is reasonable to presume that if only four complaints from various parts of the country then the vast bulk of the 60,000 people who participated in the examination were satisfied with the two hour allocation. I do not mean to put words into anybody's mouth here. I just want to get a sense of the matter from the witnesses.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Some of us are under time constraints today and I apologise to the witnesses. Time is always a big issue here. I know the committee has sent correspondence to the witnesses about other issues as well but I want to open up the debate to other members. I call on Senator Kelleher to commence.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: For clarification, is that under the statement of strategy?

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: Deputy Eugene Murphy wishes to intervene but with regard to your point about content, one of the issues we highlighted related to the role of Parliament and parliamentary committees. We perceive that there is a phasing out of that knowledge, as it were, at junior cycle level. I am relying on my notes but with the new well-being programme the current civic, social and political education,...

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: The complaint desks did not receive 11,000 calls.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: To be fair, given the degree of parent and pupil power we have these days and given that 11,000 people signed the petition, I expect people know their rights.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: It is a fair question.

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: I thank Mr. Farrell very much for that comprehensive response. Do members have any further questions?

Committee on Public Petitions: English Junior Certificate Examination: Discussion (Resumed) (21 Feb 2018)

Seán Sherlock: There has to be some deconstruction of the thinking that existed heretofore where everything was geared towards the terminal exam. It is quite a struggle for many schools to try to deconstruct the pedagogical element and the content aspect of this. Where a school was geared towards trying to squeeze as much as possible in to the terminal exam, it was in the confined space of time because...