Results 7,061-7,080 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will appreciate that as the preparation of the Estimates for any Budget including Budget 2013 is carried out on a strictly confidential basis, it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific issues or proposals, including those relating to student grants, in advance of the Budget announcement.

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

Ruairi Quinn: To date Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) has received just over 66,000 applications for student grants this year, with close on 9,500 were late applications received after the closing date of 31st August 2011. SUSI are continuing to accept late applications. This data has been supplied to my Department by SUSI. A survey completed by the grant awarding authorities in January each...

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

Ruairi Quinn: In 2008 the National Access Plan set an overall target of 65% participation in higher education by 2013 and a recent HEA estimate is that, including mature entrants, this target has been exceeded (69%). There has also been progress in increasing access specifically among young people aged 17 to-19 years of age. This has increased from 44% in 2004 to 50% according to the latest HEA estimates....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Recently this Government has made adjustments to Public Service pay on foot of the allowances review. The most significant adjustment is that new entrant teachers will not receive qualification allowances but will start on a salary of €30,702 which is equivalent to the fourth point of the existing scale. They will also have the option of being paid a pensionable allowance of...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Ireland (SUSI), the new centralised grant awarding authority, that the student referred to by the Deputy submitted a grant application after the closing date on the 5th October. While SUSI are still accepting late applications priority is being given to applications that were received before the closing date. SUSI will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (13 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I previously advised the Deputy with regard to my Department's July Provision Scheme and how participation in the scheme is an option for all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism or severe to profound general learning disability that choose to extend their education services through the month of July. A review of the scheme is...

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

Ruairi Quinn: My Department holds Departmental Council meetings on a regular basis at which all of the staff unions are represented and they can place any issues of concern and/or any suggestions they may have on the agenda. In addition, officials from the Personnel Section of my Department hold bilateral meetings with the staff unions including the CPSU and the PSEU, who represent the grades of clerical...

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

Ruairi Quinn: For the Deputy's information there are no commercial semi-state companies/agencies under the aegis of my Department. Details of non-commercial agencies under the remit of my Department can be downloaded from the Department's website.

Estimates for Public Services 2012 (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I move the following Supplementary Estimate:

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pay (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132, 133 and 140 together. My Department does not generally hold information relating to the salaries of individual VEC employees, who are paid by the VECs and, accordingly, the information requested by the Deputy is not readily available. Officials of my Department have requested from the VECs information relating to gross salaries of the relevant...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) aim on an on-going basis to improve the technology, policies and procedures with a view to an improved service for the student and a more dynamic approach to communication with all stakeholders. High on SUSI's list is the integration of technologies so that it can allow students to submit documentation by means of scanning services. This has been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI, the new centralised grant awarding authority, that the decision on the application referred to by the Deputy is currently under review by SUSI and the student will be notified directly of the outcome.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In total, SUSI has received just over 66,000 applications for student grants this year. Some 18,000 applications are now complete. This includes some 9,000 applications which have been refused and some 9,000 which have been awarded, or awarded pending submission of final course details by the student. SUSI is awaiting documentation on some 21,000 applications. The remaining some 27,000 are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, the Home Tuition scheme is intended to provide a compensatory educational service to children with a significant medical condition which is likely to cause major disruption to their attendance at school on an ongoing basis. Eligibility of children applying on medical grounds is determined with to reference to medical reports and their attendance details. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Home Tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement. Parents engage tutors directly and the grant is paid to the parent either on a monthly basis in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Redundancy Payments (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to inform the Deputy that, following the conclusion of the consultation process with the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform, my Department has given sanction to Co. Laois VEC to offer this person the terms of the recently announced Collective Agreement on enhanced redundancy payments to public servants.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are allocated to schools by the National Council for Special Education in order to provide for the care needs of children with special educational needs attending such schools. The policy of my Department in relation to the SNA scheme is set out in Circular 07/02, which also provides details regarding the role and duties of an...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Provisional recognition was initially awarded in 2008 to the school referred to by the Deputy and has been extended each year since. The school is seeking to have permanent recognition granted and a process is in place under which the issue of recognition is being assessed. This process is based on ten undertakings committed to by the school's Patron in 2007 in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools with vacancies are required to fill them from the list of surplus permanent teachers on the redeployment panels. At primary level, there are a number of redeployment panels - most of which are organised on a Diocesan basis. The redeployment arrangements include provision for flexibility of movement between panels in order to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (8 Nov 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145 to 148, inclusive, together. The following table provides a breakdown on a county basis of the status of the student grant applications received by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), the new centralised grant awarding authority. The tables includes those currently under appeal to SUSI. It gives the position for student grant applications for...