Results 7,881-7,900 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that the schools in question submitted major capital applications for extension/refurbishment to my Department. My Department has been liaising with the school authorities regarding the schools long term projected enrolments (LTPE) and a revised LTPE for each school has recently been agreed. The Schedules of Accommodation have also recently been finalised. This...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The major building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b - Detailed Design. All statutory approvals have been secured and the Design Team are currently working on completing the Stage 2b Submission. The school referred to by the Deputy was included as part of the Government's "Investing in Infrastructure...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: 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 30th September.The school referred to by the Deputy had an enrolment of 58 on 30th September 2013 which allows an allocation of 3 classroom teachers to the school for the current 2014/15 school year. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, last year this school made an application to my Department for devolved funding for a GP room. Given the current financial constraints within which my Department is operating, the position is that priority is being given to school applications for essential mainstream classroom and special education accommodation. In that context, my Department has advised the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: At primary level the staffing schedule operates in a clear and transparent manner and treats all similar types of schools equally irrespective of location. The configuration of classes and the deployment of classroom teachers are done at local school level. The primary staffing schedule currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils, with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is working closely with the relevant Local Authority in relation to acquiring suitable lands for the provision of permanent accommodation for the schools referred to by the Deputy. The Department has also been in contact with the relevant school authorities.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Data (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware of this Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs. My Department allocates significant resources to ensure that pupils with special educational needs can participate fully in education. Supports are provided for schools in order to ensure that, wherever a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Facilities (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Strategy for Higher Education sets out a comprehensive roadmap for reform of the higher education system, with the aim that the system becomes more performance-oriented and more flexible and responsive, while the diversity of mission is retained and enhanced. A key recommendation of the strategy is the provision of greater flexibility in the delivery of courses in particular the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will appreciate, the Pension Unit of my Department is obliged to ensure that priority is given to processing retirement pension benefits for pension scheme members. The next priority is accorded to applications for pension benefit statements from members who express an intention to retire in the current school year and so on, and within each priority rating, applications are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Due to competing demands on my 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 all school building projects in the 5 year construction programme announced in March 2012. School building projects which have been initiated...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Educational Disadvantage (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The process of identifying primary and post-primary schools for participation in the DEIS Programme was managed by the Educational Research Centre (ERC) on behalf of the Department and supported by quality assurance work co-ordinated through the Department's regional offices and the Inspectorate in 2005. The DEIS programme is the subject of ongoing evaluation by both the Educational...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: English Language Training Organisations (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 274 to 279, inclusive, together. ACELS (Accreditation and Co-ordination of English Language Services) is a voluntary scheme operated by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) which grants recognition to English Language Teaching Organisations (ELTOs) annually. The length of time taken to process an application for ACELS-recognition is very much...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will be aware from my recent reply that a set of principles will be required to act as a charter to strengthen the relationship between parents, students and schools, and the position of parents and students generally within the school system. The Deputy will also be aware that my Department is currently examining the legislative changes to Section 28 of the Education Act, 1998...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: For the Deputy's information, comprehensive information on all appointments to the Boards of non-commercial bodies under the aegis of my Department can be viewed on the Department's website at . In accordance with Government policy, expressions of interest are sought through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) from suitably qualified and experienced personnel for consideration when making...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, my Department's over-riding objective is to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place and that our school system is in a position to cope with increasing pupil numbers. This can sometimes necessitate the use of temporary accommodation, as in the case of this school, until my Department is in a position to provide a permanent building. My Department...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is currently liaising directly with the largest employer in the Leixlip area in relation to its plans for additions to its workforce over the coming months and the potential impact that this might have for school places. While my Department does not directly link with the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in relation to this matter, it does link with the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Forward Planning Section of my Department uses a Geographical Information System (GIS) to analyse demographic data in order to determine the areas where additional school accommodation may be required. A variety of data sources are used in this analysis, including census data, school enrolment data, and child benefit data obtained from the Department of Social Protection. The delivery...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Statistics in relation to teacher numbers and pupil enrolment are published annually by my Department on its website. The most recent published statistics relate to the 2013/2014 school year.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Rehiring (14 Oct 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. It also collates information in relation to retired teachers who are re-engaged by schools. It does not collate information in relation to individuals engaged who retired from positions in the wider public service. My Department engages the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Benchmarking Awards (9 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In the second report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body (issued in December 2007), the Body evaluated the pay and jobs of 109 grades across the public service and recommended pay increases for 15 grades. Within the education sector, the Body reviewed 25 grades including Principal, Assistant Principal and Teacher in primary and post-primary schools. The Body recommended changes to the...