Results 8,401-8,420 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy is aware, the Government gave approval in March of this year for drafting the Education (Admissions to Schools) Bill 2014 and the General Scheme has since been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government for drafting. The aim in bringing forward legislative proposals in relation to school admission is to improve the admissions process and to ensure...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: As the deputy is aware, the ESRI's report "Leaving School in Ireland" highlights that young people from working-class backgrounds were less likely than their middle class peers to go on to higher education. Young people who attended socially mixed schools and middle-class schools were more likely than those from working class schools to go on to some form of further education and training or...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The School Authority is the client for the project referred to by the Deputy and has a contract in place with the Building Contractor. The Department is not a party to that contract. My Department is aware of the delays which have been encountered in reaching completion of the works and the School Authority continues to keep the Department informed of progress in that respect.

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Deputy will appreciate that the current economic circumstances of the country are such that I am not in a position to reverse changes to third level maintenance grants at this time. However, I do understand the concerns of students in this regard and I will take account of these in considering any future changes as part of the budgetary process for 2015 and beyond, having regard to the...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1273 and 1343 together. A significant amount of analysis would be required to provide an indicative estimate for the costings requested by the Deputy. It is not possible in the time available, to undertake such an analysis. This information will be provided to the Deputy as soon as it can be gathered. Given the current budgetary environment there is no...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Universal Support Ireland Expenditure (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the Deputy will be aware, Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) have processed all new applications since it began operation in the 2012/13 academic year. The details below in relation to SUSI's expenditure on student grants and the number of students who were awarded a grant in 2012/13 and 2013/14 academic years are compiled from information supplied to my Department by SUSI. My...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: As the reformed Junior Cycle is implemented over the coming years, the role of the State Examinations Commission will change and its involvement will be less extensive than it has been to date in the Junior Certificate. It is, nevertheless, expected that some transitional costs may arise. To date there have been no additional costs to the SEC. Costs arising in 2015 and subsequent years are...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1276 and 1277 together. The position is that the exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees, through my Department's free fees schemes, in respect of full-time undergraduate students who meet the terms of the schemes. Student who qualify for free fees funding must pay a Student Contribution however those students who qualify under my Department's Student Grant...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1278, 1280 and 1281 together. Apart from those recognised fee-charging second level schools, recognised primary and post primary schools are precluded from charging school fees. Voluntary contributions by parents are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a contribution,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The information sought is not readily available to my Department, however one estimate from publishers' sources suggests that the Irish school book market is worth approximately €60 million per annum. My Department provides some €15 million in book grants annually to primary and secondary school students andit would cost an estimated €45million to cover the full cost....

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1282 and 1297 together. For student grant purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. For a dependent student, the reckonable income for grant purposes includes both his/her own income and that of his/her parents/legal guardians. An...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is repsonsible for the allocation of staffing in special schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. The NCSE is currently examining the current staffing allocation in the school to which the Deputy refers, with reference to its...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: To satisfy the terms and conditions of the student grant scheme in relation to progression, a student must be moving from year to year within a course, having successfully completed the previous year or be transferring from one course to another, where the award for the subsequent course is of a higher level than the previous course. The objective of this policy is to help as many students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Remuneration (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: Internationally comparable data on educational indicators such as teachers' salaries and instruction time in schools are compiled and published annually by the OECD Directorate for Education and Skills. The report, "Education at a Glance: OECD Indicators" provides authoritative information on the state of education and the performance of education systems in more than 40 countries including...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Quality and Qualifications Ireland Expenditure (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1287 to 1296, inclusive, together. My Department has been liaising with QQI to collate the information requested by the Deputy. Given the level of detail involved, I propose to write to the Deputy to provide the detailed information sought.

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

Jan O'Sullivan: As part of the implementation of national access policy and the national access plan, my Department, through the HEA, supports the access programmes of higher education institutions. This has included support for the HEAR admissions scheme which targets entry by school-leavers from disadvantaged backgrounds to seventeen HEA institutions (). The HEAR scheme has operated on a fully national...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1307 and 1376 together. Five new primary schools opened at the start of the current school year under the patronage divestment process. All five schools are operating under the patronage of Educate Together. The details of the schools are contained in the attached table. The Department engages directly with the main Catholic patrons in the areas identified...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I can confirm to the Deputy that my Department actively reviews, on an ongoing basis, international best practice in relation to education and training matters. As a member of a number of different international organisations, Ireland has access to international data and studies across a range of relevant education and training issues. As the Deputy will be aware, there is a significant...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Programme for Government 2011-2016 contains a commitment to changing certain decision-making responsibilities in relation to the delivery of aspects of education at both primary and post-primary levels. My Department has already begun to progress this commitment, mindful that changes in school autonomy need to be carefully planned and supported if they are to achieve improved educational...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Since November 2012 when the school self-evaluation circulars and Guidelines were launched, schools have been required to engage in school self-evaluation. The process should be evidence-based and reflective with a focus on improving learner outcomes. It should be approached from a whole-school perspective so that improvements take place in all classrooms and learning settings. The process...