Results 7,281-7,300 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: It is not the intention that the new Junior Cycle will require extra staffing. It is about working differently rather than adding to teachers' workloads. It is not expected that the reform will lead to significant changes in teacher numbers.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 261 to 264, inclusive, together. In the new Junior Cycle all students will be expected to achieve 24 statements of learning over the period of their Junior Cycle. These include valuing local and national heritage and understanding the importance of the relationship between past and current event and the forces that drive change, understanding the origins and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Education Committees (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department received a request in August 2012 from Co. Wicklow VEC for approval to fill the vacant education officer post. My Department informed the Acting Chief Executive Officer that, in accordance with the moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public service, the vacancy could not be filled.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Teachers are employed under a contract of employment with the board of management of a school or a vocational education committee. It is the Board of Management or VEC, as appropriate, which is responsible for recruitment, selection, appointment, discipline and dismissal of staff in accordance with procedures published by the Department following consultation with the education partners. In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy is a newly established school which originally projected that it would have an enrolment of 25 pupils on 30 September, 2012. Based on this projected enrolment the school was allocated a principal and 1 mainstream teaching post for the current school year. The required level of enrolment, minimum of 20 pupils, failed to materialise at 30 September 2012. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Psychological Service (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 270 to 272, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware 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). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school, referred to by the Deputy, requested that consideration be given to the replacement of the school's temporary accommodation with a permanent structure. My Department has recently carried out a technical assessment and my officials will be in contact with the school authorities shortly.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the ability of the Department to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. The redeployment of these teachers was completed during the summer. However, some additional surplus also arises in the Autumn as a result of the suppression of teaching posts given to schools on the basis of projected September 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 275 to 277, inclusive, together. The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications from the 2012/13 academic year is a matter for the new centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). The eligibility of an applicant, or the level of the grant awarded, may be re-assessed by the awarding authority in the event of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Grant Appeals (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications from the 2012/13 academic year is a matter for the new centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). Officials in my Department have confirmed with SUSI that the student in question applied for grant assistance and I understand that a decision has issued. If an individual applicant considers...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: No new agencies have been established under the aegis of my Department since March, 2011. For the Deputy's information: The Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences were merged into one entity - the Irish Research Council (IRC). The Deputy may also wish to note the following: The Deputy will also be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Services for People with Disabilities (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 237 to 242, inclusive, together. The Middletown Centre for Autism is an initiative jointly funded between my Department and the Department of Education in Northern Ireland. The Centre is aimed at supporting the promotion of excellence in the development and harmonisation of education and allied services to children and young people with autistic spectrum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department provides for a comprehensive system of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers in the area of special educational needs including teachers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Central to this is the Special Education Support Service (SESS) which was established in September 2003. The brief of the SESS is to enhance the quality of learning and teaching...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Since September 2012 the combined resources available for learning support (General Allocation Model) and language support have been merged into a single simplified allocation process. There are currently over 4,700 such posts at an annual cost of circa €282 million allocated to primary schools. This expenditure includes the standard learning support/language support allocation that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that this Government remains committed to the protection of frontline services for pupils with special educational needs. The Programme for Government sets out that education will be a priority for this Government and that we will endeavour to protect and enhance the educational experience of children, young people and students. Approximately 15% of the entire...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 to 248, inclusive, together. 56,604 on-line student grant applications were submitted to Student Universal Ireland (SUSI) by the official closing date which was 31st August 2012. SUSI is currently accepting applications after the official closing date in line with the discretion given to it under the Student Grant Scheme 2012. An additional 8,731 late...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249 and 250 together. At the time of response the figures quoted by Deputy Cannon were correct. There are still 16,351 cases where no documentation has been furnished by the applicants in response to SUSI's request. In addition, in a very significant number of cases an incomplete set of documentation was received and SUSI has had to make further requests to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The attached tables give the processing position for renewal students who are being dealt with by local authorities and VECs and for new students who are being handled by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI). The tables give the position for student grant applications for attendance at both further and higher education. The migration of the new applications to SUSI has enabled the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), the new centralised awarding authority, that the grant application of the student referred to by the Deputy for the 2012/13 academic year was refused. SUSI has confirmed that the applicant appealed their decision on 16th October and a determination will issue shortly. Where an individual applicant has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (23 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The extant contract for the school building project to which the Deputy refers, is between the school authorities and the contractor in question. Following notification from the school that works did not proceed as expected on October 8th, Department officials met with the school authorities and their Design Team to consider the next steps. My officials are liaising with the school...