Results 7,941-7,960 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I want to see what can be done. New legislation in the area is promised and we all agree that we want to see it on the Statute Book as soon as possible.

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: A significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, EPSEN, have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special educational needs. In light of the very difficult economic situation and the significant costs involved...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The policy direction is moving towards the full implementation of the Act but finance is an issue. We had a tight financial situation and the National Council for Special Education suggested an additional investment over a period of years, up to €235 million per year across the education and health sectors, would be required to implement the Act. My Department believes the sum is a...

Other Questions: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Thankfully, the economy is recovering and we are in a position to have more money to spend on these areas. I am in favour of ensuring we focus on social, as well as economic, recovery. With regard to parental involvement, schools are encouraged to use individual education plans. In that context, discussion with parents should be part of it. The information we have is that more schools use...

Other Questions: Site Acquisitions (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Officials in my Department have been in contact with officials from Donegal education and training board, ETB, about identifying and securing a suitable site in the Buncrana area for a campus development. A number of potential sites were previously considered over the past number of years but were deemed unsuitable for various reasons. The Deputy is more aware of the reasons than I. A...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The figures I have includes capitation. In fact, the 2015 element of the multiannual saving will result in an estimated saving of €3.3 million per annum. Those are the figures which have been presented to me and with which I have had to work. As I said, the main pressure with regard to the education budget is the demographics. We are constantly struggling, even with a neutral...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I said in my initial response that I am very conscious that we need to address this issue as soon as we can. I can confirm that was in the briefing document and I agree we need to address it. Clearly, there are specific issues schools have to address and they use the capitation money for that. In regard to the Deputy's point that anything to be spent in 2015 would not have to be...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will check it for the Deputy.

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department's overriding 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. To ensure this is achieved, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. However,...

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: On the planning issue, the Minister, Deputy Kelly, proposed the general scheme of a planning Bill, some elements of which address some of the problems in terms of speeding up the process.

Other Questions: Schools Building Projects Status (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: He also announced that he is going to review An Bord Pleanála on the basis that it has not been reviewed since it was established. With regard to the five-year plan, as the Deputy knows, that comes to an end at the end of next year and I have already started to look at how we might move towards the next five-year plan. I intend to work on that early next year in particular so we are...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I said we were above the average. I did not say we had the most crowded classes.

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I reiterate that we have had an increase of 2,300 mainstream teachers in the past two years. Deputy McGrath referred to children with special needs. The Deputy is probably aware that the National Council for Special Education has issued a draft document on how we might review the system. It is out for public consultation at the moment. The council is keen to get responses and hear the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: At the publication in November 2011 of the Government's medium-term infrastructure and capital investment framework, the emphasis in the education sector was focused on major school projects and smaller projects devolved to schools to meet demographic demands. Given the requirement to meet the need for additional school places over the years 2012 to 2016, it was deemed unlikely that minor...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I realise how valuable this grant is to schools. As Deputy McConalogue noted, the basic grant is €5,500 per school. There is €1,850 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs person. The grant is useful to schools for practical purposes like physical infrastructure such as items of furniture and equipment, including information technology equipment. Decisions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Minor Works Scheme Restoration (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy well knows, difficult decisions have had to be made in all Departments in recent years because of the economic collapse and specific agreements on the level of cuts each Department has had to take. One of the priorities decided upon in the Department of Education and Skills was that the pupil-teacher ratio would be protected. That meant difficult decisions had to be made. As...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Capitation Grants (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to return Government finances to a sustainable basis. I appreciate that the measures taken impacted on schools, including the reduction in capitation, and are not sustainable in the longer term. The multi-annual reduction in the funding for capitation and related grants involved a 2%...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Recruitment (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The general figures for JobBridge are positive, in terms of people moving on from it to full-time employment. I do not have the figures in regard to the Department of Education and Skills because they are held by the Department of Social Protection. I am not sure the specific figures are available, but will get them if I can. There are clear rules in regard to JobBridge and positions...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Teacher Recruitment (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education allocated over 10,900 special needs assistant posts for the 2014-15 school year. This significant number of posts is an increase on previous years. The Department makes clear that JobBridge is not a substitute for those posts and it in no way interferes with a school's normal allocation of either SNAs or teachers. I do not have the statistics the...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Oct 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I will always listen to the Deputy and his colleagues. My main priority for any additional resources for the foreseeable future will be to cater for the continuing increase in demographics at all levels in the education system. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so the...