Results 7,481-7,500 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Guidance Counsellors (19 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160, 161 and 163 together. There is no scope to reverse this budget measure. Since September 2012 guidance provision is now being organised by school management from within the staffing schedule allocation. In this way principals have discretion to balance guidance needs with the pressures to provide subject choice. My Department helped shelter the impact...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (19 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: When the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced in 2009, the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools. These posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium was therefore limited to the Assistant Principal and Special Duties posts of responsibility. The alleviation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (19 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Local Training Initiatives are managed and operated by local groups and the staff are employed by these groups. Responsibility for funding Local Training Initiatives has recently moved from SOLAS to the each of the Education and Training Boards. The Department has issued a sanction to fund enhanced redundancy for former employees of Local Training Initiatives where appropriate. I...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Ministerial Transport (19 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The cost of ministerial transport in 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013 is €101,974, €158,723, €198,184 and €212,210 respectively. These figures include the salary of the civilian drivers for the Minister and Minister of State, the subsistence costs incurred by the drivers and the amount of travel and subsistence paid to the Minister and the Minister of State. Cabinet...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that in relation to the first named school, that it is my Department's intention to provide improved accommodation for the school. It is intended that the school will be accommodated in a school building currently occupied, temporarily, by a special school pending the construction of a permanent school building for the special school. The building project for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The project at the school to which the Deputy refers, was recently authorised to commence the tender process. Subject to no issues arising, it is envisaged that the project will progress to construction in the 2nd quarter of 2015.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the current amalgamation arrangements there is a provision for the allocation of a concessionary mainstream teaching post in cases where the approved number of mainstream teachers serving in the schools at the time the amalgamation takes place exceeds the number of mainstream posts warranted by the total enrolment on the basis of the staffing schedule. The continued allocation of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Remuneration (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Pay scales for positions of employment at my Department are set by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform and no staff have been approved for a salary that exceeds these scales. In relation to the University sector and bodies under the aegis of my Department, four requests were made to my Department for remuneration that exceeded approved scales. Three of these requests...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme in July 2014 to have asbestos removed from their school building. Due to the nature of the works the School Management Authority were advised by officials from the Planning and Building Unit that the proposed works could not be carried out in a safe manner while there were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Applications (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can advise that a request for a meeting with a delegation from the school, to which the Deputy refers, was recently submitted to my Department's Planning and Building Unit. I understand my officials have been in touch with the school recently and are waiting on the school's Design Team and the School Authority to respond, prior to arranging the Stage 2(a) Stakeholders Meeting. School...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. There is no change to the staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy for the current 2014/15...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Commission (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. In view of this I have forwarded your query to the State Examinations Commission for direct reply to you.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Commercial Marketing in Schools (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 461 to 466, inclusive, together. As the Deputy will be aware, under Section 15 of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school and is therefore responsible for making decisions as to the types of activities in which the school gets involved. The decision as to whether to accept sponsorship or...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware my Department appointed Contractors Administration Services (CAS), to conduct random audits on school building projects. CAS have been requested to carry out a full monitoring service for the duration of the contract at the school in question. Should irregularities be uncovered in terms of non-compliance with relevant employment law, enforcement and prosecution falls...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Minor Works Scheme Applications (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Circular Letter 0062/2013 which was published, as the Minor Works Grant for the school year 2013/2014 issued last November in the amount of €28 million, states "the grant will only be paid in future years as funding permits". The focus under the Infrastructure and Capital Investment Programme 2012-2016 is on meeting the demand for additional school places. At this time there is no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Rehiring (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department collates information in relation to individuals who retired from the civil service and are re-engaged to undertake specific tasks. Retired civil servants are engaged from time to time to perform various defined tasks that require their particular expertise and experience. Payments made to retired civil servants in respect of such work are determined in accordance with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2013. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Payments (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of a comprehensive customer service and communications strategy provided by Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI), to ensure that all necessary avenues are open to applicants to receive the information they need, a dedicated email and phone line service is provided by SUSI for Oireachtas members. This was established to meet an identified need for applicants who choose to engage...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (18 Nov 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are...