Results 8,201-8,220 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Participation (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 239 together. My Department's data indicate that, on average, 50% of students who finish second level education progress directly on to higher education in the year they complete school. In addition, a further 28% of school leavers progress directly on to a PLC or other further/second level course. Generally speaking, over 64% of any final year...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Administration (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The minutes of the meetings of Dublin and Dun Laoghaire Education and Training Board requested by the Deputy are not provided to my Department. Consequently, I am not in a position to provide them to the Deputy. Education and Training Boards (ETBs) are required in accordance with paragraph 9 of Schedule 3 of the Education and Training Boards Act, 2013, to ensure that minutes of each...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Administration (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Section 47 of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (the Act) requires that, following the receipt of provisional expenditure limits from the Minister, the chief executive of an ETB will prepare and submit to the board a service plan setting out the services that the board proposes to provide, and an estimate of income and expenditure of the board during the financial year commencing on...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 242 and 243 together. Teacher allocations to all schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. The staffing schedule at primary level operates on the basis of 1 classroom teacher for an average of every 28 pupils. More favourable ratios operate in DEIS schools. Each one point...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Data in relation to enrolment figures in primary schools in the current school are not yet available to my Department. The number of pupils enrolled in individual schools is provided in the National School Annual Census and refers to the number of pupils enrolled as of the 30th of September in the given academic year. The National School Annual Census is generally returned by schools to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I acknowledge that the cost of the Gaeltacht Placement is a significant cost to students and their families. However, the decision to abolish the grants was not taken lightly, and it has to be viewed in the context of the prevailing requirement to reduce costs and achieve efficiencies where possible. In making difficult decisions such as this, priority was given to protecting resources for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (25 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information requested by the Deputy is held by SOLAS and I have asked them to reply directly to the Deputy with this information.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The five-year programme is constantly updated.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is not that there are new schools added. New schools are for the next programme. The list is updated in the sense of where schools are in the programme and ensuring they are progressed.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are near the end of the programme and are in the last of the five years.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We are going to work on the new ones being added.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The problem is we have limited money. Let us say one puts somebody on a five-year programme. If one wants to put somebody else on it then what does one do with the ones that are on it already? That is the dilemma with a five-year programme.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: It is the difficult question.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: We want, in a positive way, to start working on the next programme and ensure that schools that have missed out and need to be in-----

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: In the past, from my experience, there was a lot of uncertainty around the schools building programme which people did not like. By and large, people would like to know one way or the other. There are reasons for and against changing the programme every year. Some degree of certainty is important for schools as well. It is important for them to know they will get what they want.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Yes.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: There has been extra.

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The analysis would be available, and is being done. However, we get a five-year capital envelope. That is the way the accounting system works and we must operate with that as it stands. I wish to signal the following. We must deal with demographics in terms of new schools. However, a number of existing schools are in fairly bad condition and we need to look at them in the next programme...

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection: Vote 26 - Update on Pre-Budget and Policy Issues: Minister for Education and Skills (24 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is a good idea. When a couple of issues were raised today I suggested a more detailed discussion would be very useful for all of us. I welcome the Deputy's suggestion and I shall speak to the Chairman and clerk to the committee.