Results 7,741-7,760 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Chinese students may attend any English Language Training Organisation (ELTO) recognised by the ACELS service of the NQAI, provided the student holds the appropriate visa and permission from the Department of Justice and Equality. 64 recognised ELTOs offer academic year programmes. My Department does not collect statistics on the number of students in ELTOs. However, Fáilte Ireland...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Physical Education Facilities (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Due to competing demands on the Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic requirements it was not possible to include this project in the 5...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pyrite Remediation Programme Issues (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has recently appointed consultants to commence remediation work on the school to which the Deputy refers. Their work will include all necessary inspections and surveying, preparation of tender documents, procurement of a contractor to complete the remediation works, supervision of works and hand-over of school back to the Board of Management. It is not possible at this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is not included in the 5 year construction programme. The project is at an early stage of architectural planning. Due to competing demands on the Department's capital budget imposed by the need to prioritise the limited funding available for the provision of additional school accommodation to meet increasing demographic...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Construction recently commenced on Phase 1 of school building project to which the Deputy refers. This phase will provide accommodation for circa 650 pupils. Subject to no issues arising, it is anticipated that this project will be completed in time for the start of the academic year 2013/14.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy was included in the 5 year construction programme announced in March. The project is at an early stage of architectural planning and is scheduled to proceed to tender and construction in 2013.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 178 and 183 together. The Government announced as part of Budget 2012 that, pending completion of the public service-wide review of allowances, changes to teacher qualification allowances were being made with immediate effect. These changes affect new allowances payable to both existing teachers and to new appointees in the future. Under Budget 2012...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for the allocation of such...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Education and Skills does not collate data on the number of pupils at primary level who are able to speak a foreign language. At primary level, the Department's policy in relation to languages, as detailed in the Government's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy (2011), is that pupils will learn two languages, English and Irish. The National Council for Curriculum and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have asked my officials to compile the information and forward it to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Courses (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the qualifications concerned have recently been prescribed by the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government in accordance with the Building Control Act, 2007, and that holders of those qualifications can now be registered by the Royal Institute of Architects in Ireland (RIAI), the regulating body of the architecture profession, under that Act. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Broadband Services Provision (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the Schools Broadband Access Programme the Department provides for the supply of internet connectivity for all primary schools that wish to avail of this service. All contracts under the Schools Broadband Access Programme were recently re-tendered. As a result of this the number of service providers has been expanded from 6 to 13 and this should lead to improvements in the quality of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Facilities (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 186 to 189, inclusive, together. " Towards a Higher Education Landscape" published in February 2012 initiated a process of engagement by the HEA with higher education institutions with a view to providing me with advice on the future configuration and development of the higher education system. As part of this process all publicly funded institutions were...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the budget measure that requires schools to manage the provision of guidance from within their standard staffing allocation must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government recently approved a number of measures relating to public service allowances for new beneficiaries. This follows a public service-wide review of allowances and premium payments conducted by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The main measure affecting teachers is the withdrawal of qualification allowances for new entrant teachers. The Government has decided that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information as requested by the Deputy is not available as new entrants to teaching may commence in certain categories of teaching posts until the end of the current calendar year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information as requested by the Deputy is not currently available as the managerial authorities of second level schools may appoint teachers to temporary contracts until the first working day in November.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Teachers in secondary and community /comprehensive schools are appointed by the managerial authorities of the schools in which they are employed. Teachers in schools operated by Vocational Education Committees (VECs) are appointed by the VECs. Regular part-time teachers in all second level schools may be appointed until the first working day in November. Accordingly, the information...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department were in contact with the Department of the Environment, Community and Local Government for clarification regarding the decision by some local authorities to collect information on payment of the household charge from students who had applied for student grants or their families. Legal advice from my department also suggests that county councils could not withhold...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: World University Rankings (2 Oct 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the 2012 QS World University rankings, Ireland has 5 universities in the world's top 400 and 8 in the top 700. 3 Irish institutions were placed lower in 2012 than in 2011, 3 were placed higher and 2 showed no change in placement. There continues to be significant debate around the relative importance attached to rankings criteria and on their capacity to fully capture the quality of...