Results 7,141-7,160 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is routine.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It balances in the end. What happened was that there were more SUSI grants than had been anticipated at the beginning of the year. The funding was found through savings in other areas.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: No. It was money that was genuinely not required.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is also subject to the approval of the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. It is to ensure there is adequate money for various subheads. In this case, it was for student grants. It is not that we took money from anything else.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: No.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In all these things, there has to be a cut-off point somewhere. There will always be someone on the wrong side of the cut-off point unfortunately. As public representatives, we all know of situations where somebody is unfortunately on the other side. These issues can always be reviewed and they will always be under consideration in terms of whether one needs changes in the system. While...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The appeals board is independent and it operates in that way on the basis of the guidelines that are there within the scheme. As with anything else, there are specific cut-off points as the Deputy knows.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I know what the question is, but when one has an independent appeals board, one has to trust it to make the decision. What I might consider to be a tough case, the Deputy might not. That is why we have an independent appeals board.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It might be a matter for another discussion with the committee. Today, we are discussing the Supplementary Estimates.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: None of the officials with me today deals specifically with SUSI grants from a policy perspective. I think the Chairman was here before when someone raised the issue of mature students and independence from the family. We can have a look at it again with the committee.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There is legislation in place and SUSI is obviously bound by it.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes. It relates to teachers' retirement and salaries.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Provision for teachers' salaries in primary, secondary, comprehensive, community and ETB schools amounts to €3.674 billion in 2014. This provides for some 62,000 teachers and 1,380 additional posts, including 300 additional resource teaching posts. Given the amount of money involved, it is extremely difficult to be exact for every subhead. When the Estimates are settled, the aim is...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It can be quite difficult to forecast the actual numbers, because teachers can retire at any time between the ages of 50 and 65. Statistics show that only 10% of teachers retire on age grounds - they retire across the age spectrum for a variety of reasons. In 2012 more than 3,300 teachers retired, but in 2013 only 1,670 retired. The figures vary from year to year and, obviously, the...

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is about forecasting. One tries to be as accurate as possible, but the numbers are variable. The Department does its best to forecast the numbers each year. There have been various grace periods in recent years and they have affected teachers' decisions on retirement and made it harder to predict retirement figures.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes, although obviously new teachers enter the system.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes; it would be offset.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: A number of them are already in the system and will get the more permanent, long-term positions. There are new numbers because the demographics are taken care of, but there is a constant flow of retirement and recruitment. Vacancies arising on retirement are filled.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The figures apply across the country, and teachers are required to give three months' notice.

Committee on Education and Social Protection: Select Sub-Committee on Education and Skills: Estimates for Public Services 2014
Vote 26 - Education and Skills (Supplementary) (10 Dec 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The actual date of retirement is 31 August - the end of the summer holiday, in other words. Once notice is given, a new teacher is brought in for the beginning of the school year.