Results 8,441-8,460 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The Higher Education Authority (HEA) and Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) have been working to develop a National Doctoral Framework, whose purpose is to facilitate consistent and enhanced excellence in the quality of doctoral education and training (including Masters Research) in order to ensure that Ireland has high quality, international standard PhD programmes. The Framework will...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: 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, including those relating to nationality and residency. The Department of Justice and Equality has established a working group to look at all the issues that affect asylum seekers and in that context my...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1338 and 1339 together. Under the current amalgamation arrangements there is a provision for the allocation of a concessionary mainstream teaching post in cases where the approved number of mainstream teachers serving in the schools at the time the amalgamation takes place exceeds the number of mainstream posts warranted by the total enrolment on the basis...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision making authority for any amalgamation belongs to the Patron of a school, subject to the approval of the Minister for Education and Skills. The initiative for any amalgamation may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Board of Management and patron(s). The position is that that any decisions to amalgamate schools will be voluntary...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: School building projects which are funded from public monies, including the school project to which the Deputy refers, are required to use the forms of contract provided under the Capital Works Management Framework which includes a suite of public works contracts, standard conditions of engagement, model forms, suitability assessment questionnaires and guidance notes published by the Office...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The following link shows a list of primary and post-primary schools with under 100 pupils including their roll number, name, address, county, Irish classification, patron and total enrolment. All-Irish classification means that Irish is the normal language of communication with the class for all subjects & activities, except the teaching of English. The all-Irish schools include...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The staffing arrangements for all schools are published annually on my Department's website. At primary level, this is done via what is known as the Staffing Schedule and the relevant circular in relation to it for the 2014/15 school year is Circular 0007/2014. The Staffing Schedule currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every 28 pupils. At...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Work commenced in July 2013 on the development of a new Digital Strategy for Schools to ensure the continued integration of ICT into teaching, learning and assessment in schools. ICT is seen as central to the achievement of the key reforms outlined in my Department's policy at a number of levels including the Literacy and Numeracy Strategy and the new Framework for Junior Cycle now being...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Extra Curricular Activities (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Department provides capitation funding to all recognised primary schools. Given the scale of our economic crisis, I have no scope to introduce new or additional funding measures to assist primary schools, such as those referred to by the Deputy.

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

Jan O'Sullivan: The matters raised by the Deputy fall within the responsibilities of the Governing Authority of the University to deal with. However, the Deputy may wish to note that I have already called upon third level institutions to do everything they can to support students who are searching for accommodation.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Years Strategy Implementation (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: My Department is working closely with the Department of Children and Youth Affairs on progressing the quality agenda for early years care and education. This includes cooperation on the new national quality support service, education focused inspections, and a review that I announced recently of education and training programmes that lead to qualifications in early childhood care and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Councils Issues (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: The voice of second level students is important. Schools have student councils so that the voice of the student has a formal opportunity for being heard. The latest data, taken from the 'Lifeskills' survey of 2012, is that approximately 97% of second level schools have a student council. More and more the voice of students is informing policy making by my Department. For example, in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Parent and Student Charter (17 Sep 2014)

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1352 and 1353 together. The Deputy will be aware that changes to the Education Act, 1998 will be necessary to provide for and support the introduction of a Parent and Student Charter. With this in mind, a set of principles will be required to act as a charter to strengthen the relationship between parents, students and schools, and the position of parents...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: Under the terms of the Department of Education and Skill's Student Grant Scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The nationality/immigration status requirements for the student grant scheme are set out in section 14 of the Student Support Act 2011...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (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 Similarly detailed information for 2014 and 2015 will be compiled, in early 2015 and early 2016...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (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 Similarly detailed information for 2014 and 2015 will be compiled, in early 2015 and early 2016...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I wish to advise the Deputy that an all-in-devolved grant has been approved for the school, in question, to provide 8 permanent en-suite mainstream classrooms, 2 resource rooms and associated ancillary accommodation. These classrooms will greatly enhance the schools accommodation and represents phase I of the process to meet the school's long term needs. In light of this development, my...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: While standardised arrangements for the breaks to be taken by schools at Christmas, Easter and midterm apply to all schools, it is not a requirement of these agreed arrangements that the commencement or end of the school year either at primary or post-primary level should be standardised. Individual schools may therefore determine the precise start and end of the school year subject to...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: To date, some €78.3m, comprising contributions and associated interest has been lodged to the special investment account opened by the National Treasury Management Agency (NTMA) in accordance with section 29 of the Residential Institution Statutory Act, 2012. Of this amount €41.3m, which had been held in a special deposit account in the Central Bank of Ireland was lodged to the...

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

Jan O'Sullivan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1360 and 1430 together. As the Deputies will be aware the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012 provides that those who are currently eligible to apply to Caranua are those former residents who received awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or equivalent Court awards or settlements. During the passage of the legislation through...