Results 7,941-7,960 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The core purpose of the redeployment arrangements is to redeploy a teacher who is surplus in one school to a vacancy in another school. The redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers is key to the Department's ability to manage within its payroll budget and ceiling on teacher numbers. Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Expenditure (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the school referred to by the Deputy is appealing the decision made by the local authority in relation to the fees being charged in respect of their Summer Works project. Should this appeal be unsuccessful my Department will consider an application for funding to cover these additional costs.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy.

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Department recently authorised the design team to begin the pre-qualification of a shortlist of main building contractors in anticipation of the project progressing to tender and construction stage. Thereafter, the project will proceed to tender to the shortlist of suitably qualified contractors. Tender stage on a project of this size normally takes between 6 and 8 months to...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I have asked the National Council for Curriculum to advise on this matter and I expect a detailed response very shortly. In addition, formal in-depth research on the impact of Project Maths is ongoing. Following a tendering process, the National Foundation for Educational Research (NFER) was awarded a contract to conduct research into the impact of Project Maths on student motivation,...

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

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, Education at a Glance uses 2010 data for this part of the report. In mid-2011, I launched the National Strategy to improve Literacy and Numeracy among children and young people 2011 to 2020. One of the early actions implemented under the Strategy was to ask all primary schools to increase the time spent on mathematics by 70 minutes per week from January 2012....

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 479 and 480 together. Between November 2009 and November 2010, my Department distributed some €46m directly to primary schools under the national ICT Infrastructure Grant Scheme. The main priority under this scheme is the equipping of each classroom with a teaching computer and digital projector. Once the baseline is in place schools can allocate any...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The NCCA's ICT Framework: A structured approach to ICT in Curriculum and Assessment (2007) has been made available to all primary and post-primary schools. ICT, including digital literacy, is an integral part of a student's on-going education. It harnesses the young person's natural sense of wonder. The primary curriculum promotes the importance of ICT as a resource which enriches the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Bodies Expenditure (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: No new state bodies have been established under the aegis of my Department since 9 March, 2011. The Deputy may wish to note that 1) the Qualifications and Quality Assurance Authority of Ireland (QQAAI) is due to be established shortly, this will involve the merger of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) and the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the value of sites acquired for use in the public capital programme from private landowners by my Department amounted to just under €5m in 2010, and €10.25m in 2011. I include Table 1 with details. In addition, during 2010, my Department provided just under €9.13m in funding to a number of Vocational Education Committees to facilitate the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (18 Sep 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with Government policy, expressions of interest have been sought through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) from suitably qualified and experienced persons for consideration for appointment to the following boards of Bodies operating under the aegis of my Department. Leárgas Ltd – The Exchange Bureau The Higher Education Authority The Qualifications and Quality...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: These proposals seek to widen eligibility for the fund. Amendments Nos. 1 and 2 propose that former residents who would have been eligible for an award from the redress board had they applied should be eligible to apply to the fund. Anybody who receives a court award or settlement in respect of an action arising out of circumstances which could give rise to an application to the redress...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Senators for their comments. For their own reasons, 15,000 people chose to present their cases to the redress board. The latter conceded that 94% of these individuals had valid cases and paid out compensation in varying amounts. I understand that the average amount paid was of the order of €60,000 plus. This was compensation for damage done - as a result of negligence on the...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Senators for their clarification on these points. I have listened to what they said and all I can say in response to the proposal is that I will review the measure in two years' time. We will respond to it and, if necessary, I will come back to this House and report on the issue. It is my intention to set up the board in September. I will call for public expressions of interest...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The proposal in amendment No. 5 that a one-off payment be made from the fund is not acceptable given that there is no apparent linkage between the making of such a payment and the needs of former residents. As I stated on Second Stage, the purpose of the fund is not to be a form of additional compensation. That issue is a matter for the redress board. The function of the fund is, as...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Amendments Nos. 6 and 10 propose the establishment of an assessment panel comprising four members of the statutory fund board to examine applications from persons who did not make an application to the redress board or who will have a court determination made in an action arising out of residency in a scheduled institution. Recipients of a court awards will be eligible to apply for the fund...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The effect of this amendment would be to preclude the board from taking account of an applicant's financial circumstances when determining its criteria. The whole purpose of the fund is that it should target its resources to meet the needs of former residents. This section requires the board to take account of the individual's circumstances, including personal and financial circumstances,...

Seanad: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012: Committee and Remaining Stages (20 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the House for its co-operation not just on this Bill, but also in respect of other items of legislation I have brought before it since becoming Minister for Education and Skills. I compliment Senators on their work and I hope they enjoy their well-deserved holiday.

Written Answers — School Funding: School Funding (19 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the attached documents. Further to the details included in the documents an additional €28,183.62 of Assistive Technology grants issued to Fee Charging Schools in the 2011/12 school year. ALL FEE PAYING SCHOOLS GROSS SALARY COSTS 2011-2012 SCHOOL YEAR Figures are up to 9 July 2012 School No. School Address Total Gross Teachers Total...

Written Answers — School Funding: School Funding (19 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The capital investment in schools in County Clare made by my Department for the period requested May 2007 to end 2011 amounted to €40.292m. In addition each primary school with full recognition received the Minor Works Grant in 2007, 2008 and 2009. The Minor Works Grant comprises a basic grant of €5,500 plus €18.50 per mainstream pupil and €74 per special needs pupil. The €40.292m...