Results 821-840 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted a proposal to relocate the school in question to alternative permanent accommodation to meet its long term requirements. The Department has contacted the school Patron seeking further details in respect of the proposal. Once a response is received, the matter can be given further consideration. In the meantime, my Department approved funding...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15 school year (Circular 0007/2014) were published on 24 January, 2014. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) approves special classes for schools. Such a special class was approved for the school referred to by the Deputy in 2011. My Department has arrangements in place whereby a substitute teacher is employed by a school if a teacher, including special class teachers, is absent on certified sick leave as is the position in this case. The criteria...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Charges (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is presumed that the Deputy is referring to the Student Contribution which currently stands at €2,500 for the current academic year and is payable by students who qualify under my Department's free fees schemes. I have already signalled my intention to increase the Student Contribution by €250 each year hereafter until the 2015/16 academic year when the contribution will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Institutes of Technology (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In May 2013, I asked the Higher Education Authority to implement the agreed future system configuration noted by Government. This included allowing the three applicant groups of institutes of technology who had submitted a formal expression of interest to merge and to apply to become a technological university to proceed to the second stage of the four stage process, published in February...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Postgraduate Education (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF) was established in 2006 and projects approved under the Fund were aimed at institutional reform, enhancing teaching and learning, improving access and lifelong learning and enabling the development of fourth level activity. Funding for the SIF from the Department ended in 2012. One of the key objectives of the SIF was 'to prepare for the expansion and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Access to Higher Education (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the context of the necessary but difficult expenditure reduction measures announced in Budget 2012, new students entering postgraduate courses from the 2012/13 academic year onwards are not entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. Those who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant under the Student Grant Scheme are eligible to have their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A new National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education is currently being developed by the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education in consultation with my Department. This will include new targets to increase participation by under-represented groups. The Third Level Access Measure provides support for disadvantaged students through two sub-priorities: the Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Assistance Fund (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The table gives details of the allocation to the Student Assistance Fund (SAF) and the numbers of students who benefitted for the past five years. - 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 Funding allocation (€) 5,000,000 5,000,000 5,012,000 9,000,000 11,000,000 8,350,000 Number of beneficiaries 7,776 7,681 8,301 13,347 16,721 n/a  2013-14 beneficiary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Fund for Students with Disabilities (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The table gives details of the allocation to the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) and the numbers of students who benefitted for the past five years. FSD Number of beneficiaries Total Funding Allocated 2008-09 3,483 11.7m 2009-10 4,964 12.1m 2010-11 6,097 13.7m 2011-12 6,849 10.8m 2012-13 7,897 10.3m 2013-14* 9,020 10.2m*Provisional.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disadvantaged Status (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The DEIS Action Plan (2005) provides that increased access to higher education for students from disadvantaged backgrounds will be promoted, in co-operation with the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education. Reports of progress by higher education institutions to the Higher Education Authority, indicate that the majority of post-primary, DEIS schools are linked with the access...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scholarship Schemes (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The table details the number of places awarded on the Irish Scholarship Schemes for the past eight years. Number of Irish Scholarships Awarded Academic Year Ón nGaeltacht Trí Ghaeilge: Teoranta Neamh – Theoranta TOTAL 2006/07 15 14 17 46 2007/08 15 7 15 37 2008/09 16 5 15 36 2009/10 15 4 20 39 2010/11 17 7 19 43 2011/12 15 7 15 37 2012/13 0 0 0 0 2013/14 0 0 0 0

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Scholarship Schemes (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Scholarship provision was reviewed by my Department in advance of the changes announced in Budget 2012 when five higher education scholarship schemes were replaced with a single new scheme of bursaries awarded on criteria based both on merit and on socio-economic need. The bursary represents an additional support and incentive to recognise high achievement for students who are from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The current qualifying distance for the higher non-adjacent rate of student grant, at 45 km, takes into account a reasonable radius within which students may commute on a daily basis. I have not made any changes to the qualifying distance in the 2014 scheme. As the Deputy will be aware, the funding allocation for student grants for future years will be determined in the context of the overall...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The table shows the funding allocated to the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education for the past eight years. The allocation includes programme funding for the Fund for Students with Disabilities, the Student assistance Fund and provision for staffing and administrative costs of the National Access Office. Allocation to National Office for Equity of Access for Higher...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Agencies Staff Data (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The table shows level of staffing and rates of pay allocated to the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education for the past eight years. The staff allocated for the National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education also worked on the Higher Education Authority Skills programmes from 2011. Year Grade Number Salary Band at 1st December Salary Scale date 2013 PO APO...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. 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. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Parking Provision (8 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is not in receipt of any application or proposal from the school in question but the school authorities can contact my Department should they wish to discuss the matter further. I also wish to advise the Deputy that any application received will be considered in the context of competing demands on my Departments capital budget, the main priority...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Funding (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and for early intervention for children with autism....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Establishment (7 May 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Section 30 (1) of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 provides for the composition of each Board, following the forthcoming local authority elections, as follows: 12 members elected by the relevant local authority or local authorities; 2 education and training board staff members elected by staff members; 2 members appointed by the Board from nominees of the National Parents' Council;...