Results 8,061-8,080 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — School Funding: School Funding (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This Government recognises the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant or reformed church background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos while at the same time ensuring that funding arrangements are in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. With regard to the fee-charging Protestant schools, an arrangement exists whereby funding is provided...

Written Answers — Technological Universities: Technological Universities (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A clear four stage process and criteria for designation as Technological University was published in February of this year. Institutions proposing to merge and apply for designation as technological universities, including those in the South-East will need to submit a formal expression of interest within a six month period and will be advised within a further six months whether they can...

Written Answers — Ministerial Expenditure: Ministerial Expenditure (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The table below sets out the amounts spent by previous Ministers and Ministers of State within my Department on subsistence for each year from 1 January 2007 to 9 March 2011 inclusive. This table also includes unvouched expenses paid to Ministers and Ministers of State within that period. There were also some subsistence expenses that were discharged by credit card. In this regard, the total...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. 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 30 September. The staffing arrangements in schools for the 2012/2013 school year can also be...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has received an application for an extension from the school in question which has been assigned a Band 3 rating in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. The Deputy will appreciate, that in view of the financial constraints imposed by the need, as outlined in the Five Year Plan, to prioritise available funding for the provision...

Written Answers — Third Level Examinations: Third Level Examinations (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that under the Universities Act, 1997, universities are academically independent and the Department of Education and Skills does not have any function in the day to day operational affairs of such colleges. It would not therefore be open to me to intervene with the authorities in UCD regarding a matter relating to examination procedures in the University. Issues concerning...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Environment, Community and Local Government (Vote 25) has overall responsibility for Local Government funding. This includes responsibility for Dormant Accounts funding, which facilitates, inter alia, the grant aiding of schemes relating to educational and social disadvantage. The Vote of my Department (Vote 26) facilitates Dormant Accounts funding concerning the tackling...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFRL) is a reference tool developed by the Council of Europe to assess the achievement of learners of foreign languages. While programmes of education and training provided by the universities and Institutes of Technology lead to awards which are aligned to the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), those awards have not been...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. I wish to inform the Deputy that statistics in relation to the Leaving Certificate examinations (2000 - 2011) including the number of school leavers who completed the Leaving Certificate can be downloaded from State Examinations Commission website:-...

Written Answers — Overseas Study Placements: Overseas Study Placements (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government's international education strategy encourages education institutions to promote outward mobility of staff and students as part of their own institutional internationalisation strategies. Many education institutions already provide opportunities for some of their students to spend a period of time studying overseas, including in partner institutions in some of the BRIC...

Written Answers — Overseas Study Placements: Overseas Study Placements (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I accept the desirability of promoting work and study placements in European countries in order to acquire expertise, including linguistic competency. Considerable numbers of Irish students are currently studying or working abroad. National targets are a feature of the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP) of the European Union, which is designed to promote educational mobility in the European...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I am currently leading the reform of the Junior Cycle. A Framework for the revised Junior Cycle has been prepared. It contains 24 Statements of Learning which students should experience during their junior cycle. These 24 statements will provide the basis for school planning and evaluation. They will involve not only the combination of curriculum components (subjects and short courses)...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 103 and 104 together. The Department's policy, detailed in the Government's National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy, is that pupils will learn two languages, English and Irish in primary schools. The Strategy is being implemented since its publication in July of last year. There are no plans in the current budgetary situation to extend the range of languages...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Students at third level currently have access to a wide range of foreign language courses that can be taken as core subjects or in combination with a range of other disciplines. Information on all language courses, including those relevant to emerging markets, is available on the Qualifax website www.qualifax.ie. In addition, almost 150 new part time higher education places on foreign...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCSE has notified all schools of their allocation for the 2012/13 school year of resource hours for low incidence special needs. The arrangements for how schools access these resource hours in teaching posts are set out in the Department Staffing Circular 0007/2012. Under these arrangements a network of over 2,500 full-time resource posts has been put in place in close to 1,700 base...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. It is not possible to allow grant aid where reckonable income exceeds the prescribed limits, regardless of individual circumstances. If the applicant is unhappy with the decision in relation to his grant application he/she may appeal the decision of the grant awarding authority to its...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs published the Heads of the Children First Bill on the 24th April last. I fully support this Bill, the purpose of which is to put Children First: National Guidance for the Protection and Welfare of Children on a statutory basis. Last autumn, my Department published updated Child Protection Procedures for Primary and Post...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The curriculum in schools is devised on the basis that ICT is not a subject but rather a tool to be integrated into the teaching and learning of all subjects. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has developed an ICT framework which sets out a structured approach to ICT in curriculum and assessment. This sets out the types of learning appropriate for students during the period...

Written Answers — Fee Paying Schools: Fee Paying Schools (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the following 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...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (18 Jul 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 113 and 114 together. Teachers in all schools are paid on an incremental salary scale. All teachers employed before 1 February 2012 receive an allowance appropriate to their qualifications. Principals are paid an allowance in respect of the duties attached to this post. In addition there are other allowances which may be paid to teachers depending on the type...