Results 8,381-8,400 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards Staff (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Community Training Centres (CTCs) are funded through SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards. They are managed and operated by independent local Boards of Management. The staff are employed by these groups and my Department does not have a direct role in staffing and employment issues relating to these bodies. I understand from the Cork Education and Training Board that the decision to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Sep 2014)

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

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Expenditure (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1244 and 1245 together. The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. Officials of my Department have asked the Higher Education Authority to seek the information requested from the institutions and it will be forwarded to you as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Government's focus in recent years has been on operating a budgetary programme that is designed to return the Government finances to a sustainable basis. One aspect of the budgetary decisions was to increase the pupil teacher ratio for fee-charging schools. Fee-charging schools have the resources, through fees charged, to employ teachers privately, an option which is not available to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Pensions (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The correspondence to which the Deputy refers relates to a process in respect of pension benefits. Officials in my Department and in the relevant body have addressed the matter in accordance with the terms of the pension scheme and relevant circulars and the person to whom the Deputy referred has been informed of the outcome of the internal disputes resolution procedure. The person to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Haddington Road Agreement Implementation (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: An Expert Group was established under the Haddington Road Agreement to consider and report on the level of fixed-term and part-time employment in teaching, having regard to the importance for teachers of employment stability and security and taking account of system and school needs and Teaching Council registration requirements. The Chairman of the Expert Group presented the Group's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1250, 1252, 1257 and 1270 together. The Annual Student Contribution is levied on students attending Institutes of Technology (IoTs). The amount due by apprentices is calculated on a pro rata basis of the time which they spend in Institutes of Technology during the academic year. Since 2004, FÁS/SOLAS has paid a part of the Annual Student Contribution...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department provides for a range of placement options for pupils with special educational needs in order to ensure that all pupils can receive a school placement. Many pupils with special educational needs will be able to attend a local mainstream school, whereas for pupils who have needs which require more specialist interventions, special class and special school placements are provided...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Data (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1253 and 1254 together. The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the tables. The details relating to staff 'expected' to leave or be employed at a future date relate to compulsory retirements and any planned recruitment respectively which we are aware of. As the Deputy will know, resignations, voluntary retirements etc. occur on an ongoing basis...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Data (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The table sets out the position in relation to staffing in 2013 and 2014. Additional staffing numbers in 2015 and 2016 will be the subject of annual budgetary discussions taking account of demographic factors. In relation to annual costs, the average annual gross salary for a new teacher, inclusive of factors such as Employers PRSI, is circa. €45,000 at primary level and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Staff Data (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department has compiled detailed information on teacher retirements in respect of Primary, Secondary and Community and Comprehensive Schools for the years 2012 and 2013. The detailed information with effect from 2012 is available in tabular form on my Department's website at the link . Detailed information in respect of 2014 will be compiled in early 2015 and will be posted on my...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Disability Support Services (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The report to which the Deputy refers was submitted to my Department in 2012. The main findings of this report relating to the assessment of children with special needs were under consideration by my Department, Department of Health and the Health Service Executive at that time. As a consequence of this consideration, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) were requested to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Student grant applications are means tested on gross income from all sources earned inside and outside the State within a specified reference period. The assessment of income from the same starting point is deemed to be fair and reasonable because this approach eliminates any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions in different households. In the interest of equity,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Provision (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: A person's Social Welfare entitlement is determined by Department of Social Protection. SOLAS Training Allowances are aligned to the persons Social Welfare entitlements. This amount is paid for the duration of the course. In addition, a weekly travel allowance based on distance travelled to the course is paid to trainees where appropriate. These are maximum rates payable to Trainees and are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Chief Executive Officer of Caranua, the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Board was selected following an open recruitment competition conducted by the Public Appointments Service (PAS). In accordance with the provisions of section 13 of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 my predecessor designated the person selected by PAS to be the first Chief Executive of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The proposed new building for the school to which the Deputy refers is a major school building project which was included in the Five Year School Building Programme announced by the Department in March 2012, with the new school building to proceed to construction in 2015/16. Officials from my Department have been in contact with the school's Board of Management to confirm that approval has...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating a quantum of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for each school annually taking into account the assessed care needs of children qualifying for SNA support. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Trade Agreements (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The negotiations with the United States on the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) are the most ambitious and broad based that the EU has ever undertaken. The breadth of the negotiations reflects the extensive benefits that could be won from any final agreement. However, when the EU Council agreed the negotiating directives to the Commission for these talks under last year's...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Recruitment (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Teachers are employed by the managerial authorities of schools. The detailed information sought by the Deputy is not readily available. The comparative information currently available relates to March 2014 compared to March 2013. In March a total of 282 retired teachers were employed by the managerial authorities of schools. One hundred and forty nine retired primary teachers and one...