Results 7,881-7,900 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department strives to ensure that a continuum of special education provision is available as required for children with special educational needs. In line with this approach the policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs including those with autism. As each child with autism is unique they should have access to a range of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs attending special schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's policy in allocating this support. Circular 0042/2011 provides information to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy is among eight schools constituting the third bundle of school projects that are earmarked for delivery as part of the Department's overall Schools Public Private Partnership programme of works. Unfortunately, unanticipated difficulties associated with the current fiscal situation have led to delays in achieving financial close. As a consequence, it has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Labour Court Recommendations (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department does not keep a central list of Labour Court recommendations that have been issued in respect of my Department. Officials in my Department will arrange to provide the specific information sought in respect of my Department directly to the Deputy as soon as possible. The Deputy will appreciate that the information requested by him in respect of organisations coming under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As I announced last December, the means test for student grants will be amended to take account of the value of certain capital assets as well as income for the 2013/14 academic year. The Deputy will be aware that a dedicated capital assets test implementation group was established to bring forward detailed implementation proposals on new means testing arrangements for student grants, to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of the Government's ongoing commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Numbers (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department fully complies with all codes of practice in relation to the recruitment and employment of persons with a disability in the Civil Service. As at the end of December 2011, as provided for under Part 5 of the Disability Act 2005, my Department reported to the National Disability Authority (NDA) a staffing of 1,339 employees of whom 46 (3.4%) had a declared disability. As...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Education Committees Membership (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In October 2011 the General Scheme of an Education and Training Boards Bill was referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education. The General Scheme was also published at that time. Following discussions with this Department and relevant stakeholders, the Committee prepared a report which I responded to at a meeting of the Committee on 25 January 2012. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As I announced last December, the means test for student grants will be amended to take account of the value of certain capital assets as well as income for the 2013/14 academic year. The Deputy will be aware that a dedicated capital assets test implementation group was established to bring forward detailed implementation proposals on new means testing arrangements for student grants, to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 394 and 395 together. My Department has developed an online inventory facility to enable schools to provide information about their accommodation, including information on their school site. To date 2,363 primary schools have completed the online Inventory on School Accommodation. Of this 2,363 schools, 70 schools have indicated that they are located on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to confirm that my Department has received an application for additional accommodation from the school referred to by the Deputy. The application is currently being assessed and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Applications (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications is a matter for the central grant awarding authority SUSI (Student Universal Support Ireland). Renewal applications will continue to be dealt with by the existing 66 grant awarding authorities. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In the document, Towards a Future Higher Education Landscape, published by the HEA in February last, a clear four stage process and criteria was laid out for institutes of technology who wish to apply for designation as Technological Universities. Stage 1 of the process required consortiums of institutions to submit an expression of interest to HEA within six months. The HEA will, having...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment provided its advice to me on Junior Cycle Reform in late 2011. Since then, consideration has been ongoing in relation to the implementation of reform. Reform will be introduced on a phased basis. There will be a combination of curriculum components including subjects and short courses. Within their junior cycle experience, students will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In the context of JC reform the NCCA has advised that a portfolio with a weighting of 40% of the marks would be an inherent component of subjects in the revised Junior Certificate. I have accepted the NCCA's advise that a portfolio should be a key element of revised subjects. The implementation of this kind of assessment in the Junior Cycle is a considerable reform and the impact and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (18 Sep 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: Teaching Qualifications (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: It has been the policy of my Department for some time that only qualified and registered teachers should be employed by schools. This is set out most recently in Circular Letter 31/2011. Current recruitment procedures direct schools to ensure that teachers proposed for appointment to publicly paid posts must be registered with the Teaching Council and have qualifications appropriate to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Labour Court Recommendations (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to inform the Deputy that the consultation process between the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform and my Department is still ongoing. However, the matter is expected to be concluded in the near future.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Funding (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware my Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the Universities and Institutes of Technology. My Department also allocates capital funding to the HEA for disbursement to the sector, while my Department allocates capital funding directly to the Institutes of Technology. A breakdown of funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Admissions Entry Requirements (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The entry requirements for third level education courses are determined by individual higher education institutions and the processing of applications is administered by the CAO on their behalf. My Department does not have any role in relation to the operation of the CAO or the admissions policies of third level institutions. Details regarding applying for third level courses, including...