Results 8,961-8,980 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under my Department's Free Fees Scheme, students who have previously pursued but have not completed a course of third level study and subsequently resume third level studies are not eligible for free fees for the equivalent period of time spent on the first course of study where the third level course concerned attracted exchequer funding. In such cases exchequer funding includes fees,...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department does not have a Legislative Council.

Written Answers — Public Procurement Contracts: Public Procurement Contracts (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a key principle, enunciated in the Public Procurement Guidelines, published by the NPPPU, that the public procurement function is discharged honestly, fairly, and in a manner that secures best value for public money. Contracting authorities must be cost effective and efficient in the use of resources while upholding the highest standards of probity and integrity. The Guidelines require...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for additional accommodation has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. This application is currently being assessed and my Department expects to convey a decision on this application to the school authority shortly.

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education Finance Board is an independent statutory body established pursuant to section 23 of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Act 2005. My officials have forwarded your request to the Board requesting that it respond directly to you in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Where the appeals officer from the awarding authority decides to reject the appeal, the applicant may appeal this decision to my Department or the independent appeals board, as appropriate.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: 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 as...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: When the moratorium on the filling of posts of responsibility was introduced the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools and these posts continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium is therefore limited to Assistant Principal and Special Duties allowances payable to teachers on promotion. Vacancies at...

Written Answers — Third Level Staff: Third Level Staff (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I would like to refer the Deputy to the letter from the Secretary General of my Department to the Public Accounts Committee of 28 November 2011. The letter states that the Higher Education Authority (HEA) has conducted an exercise to determine definitively the quantum of monies at issue in respect of unauthorised payments to senior staff in each of the universities. The exercise encompassed...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In the context of the necessary but difficult expenditure reduction measures announced in Budget 2012, new students entering postgraduate courses, including those in Northern Ireland, from the 2012/13 academic year onwards will not be entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. Existing postgraduate students will not be affected. However, those students who meet the...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The correspondence, inter alia, calls for the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill 2012 to be voted down and suggests that not one survivor will benefit directly from the Fund only service providers. As the Deputy will be aware, this Bill has been drafted following the unanimous agreement of an all-party motion passed in Dáil Éireann in the aftermath of the 2009 Ryan Report...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A key priority for my Department is to prioritise and target resources in schools with the most concentrated levels of educational disadvantage. That challenge is significant, given the current economic climate and the target to reduce public expenditure. This limits the capacity for any additionality in the DEIS programme. In this context, I have no immediate plans to undertake the type of...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department proposes to proceed with by-elections to fill vacancies for representatives of staff and parent representatives in a number of vocational education committees as early as possible in the next school year. It is intended to issue a circular well in advance of the election date, which has yet to be determined.

Written Answers — Education and Training Boards: Education and Training Boards (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In October 2011 the General Scheme of an Education and Training Boards Bill was referred to the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Jobs, Social Protection and Education. The General Scheme was also published at that time. Following discussions with my Department and relevant stakeholders, the committee prepared a report which I responded to at a meeting of the committee on 25 January 2012. The...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is strongly committed to promoting Ireland as a centre for international education. The Programme for Government sets out an ambitious target of doubling international student numbers over the coming five years, through full implementation of the international education strategy, Investing in Global Relationships. International education is also identified in the Action Plan...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that, 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 will not be entitled to maintenance payments under the Student Grant Scheme. However, those students who meet the qualifying conditions for the special rate of grant will be...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The delivery of the proposed extension at the school in question has been devolved to Co. Kilkenny VEC and I understand that the VEC will shortly commence the process of appointing a Design Team.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that as outlined in the Five Year Plan and in view of the need to ensure that every child has access to a physical school place, the delivery of major school projects to meet significant demographic demands nationally will be the main focus for capital investment in schools in the coming years. The Five Year school building programme is focused on meeting those...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. In view of this I have forwarded...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 May 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Under Circular 31/2011 each principal must report to his or her board of management on a regular basis on the fact that a list of unemployed registered teachers is being maintained, and the circumstances in which he or she has had to engage a registered teacher in receipt of a pension under a public service pension scheme or an unregistered person. Records relating to recruitment and...