Results 9,241-9,260 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The major capital project referred to by the Deputy is listed in the recently announced Five Year Construction Programme to commence construction in 2015/16. The brief for the project will provide a new 16-classroom school and a two-classroom special needs unit on the existing site. The project is currently at an early stage of architectural planning and was approved to commence Stage 2a -...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy has an application with my Department for capital funding for a major school project. Information in respect of the current status of all assessed applications for major capital works, including this project, is available on the Department's website at www.education.ie. In view of the need to ensure that every child has access to a...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: One former school inspector is contracted as a consultant as the interim manager of three schools pending the amendment of the Vocational Education Act to enable patrons of these schools to establish Boards of Management. Another retired school inspector has been appointed to the board of directors of the Middletown Centre for Autism based at Armagh which is a body jointly funded by my...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002 to provide fair and reasonable financial awards to victims of institutional childhood abuse. The Board operates independently and the application process is confidential in accordance with the terms of the 2002 Act. Therefore, I am not in a position to comment on any...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The recently published Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill provides that those former residents who received financial awards from the Residential Institutions Redress Board or similar awards or settlements in court proceedings, will be eligible to apply for assistance from the Statutory Fund. While the Residential Institutions Redress Board is continuing to process its remaining...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is outlined in the table. I welcome the participation by agencies under the aegis of my Department in these schemes. Agency Scheme Number of places available Take up of scheme to date Higher Education Authority (including the Research Council). Job Bridge 5 places offered (4 for graduates, 1 for non-graduate) 2 graduate places filled Higher...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a response is issuing in relation to this matter.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant. I understand from the awarding...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: One former school inspector is contracted as a consultant as the interim manager of three schools pending the amendment of the Vocational Education Act to enable patrons of these schools to establish Boards of Management. Another retired school inspector has been appointed to the board of directors of the Middletown Centre for Autism based at Armagh which is a body jointly funded by my...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. The new arrangements I announced last December are designed to address the limitations of the current arrangements and will operate...

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that I recently published the Report of the Advisory Group to the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector. The overarching aim of the Forum's work was to ensure that schools cater for diversity and ensure an inclusive and respectful environment for all their pupils. The Advisory Group have presented a comprehensive report and I am aware that some of...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Budget 2012 introduced a phased increase in the pupil threshold for the allocation of classroom teachers in small primary schools. This increase is necessary given our budgetary constraints and rapidly rising school population. It is being phased in over three years to allow communities consider options for re-organisation. We have to ensure that the very valuable but limited resources we...

Written Answers — Croke Park Agreement: Croke Park Agreement (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the review of allowances in the public service which is ongoing at the moment is being conducted by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform and I understand that the Minister intends to bring proposals to Government shortly. The Government has reaffirmed the key commitments under the Public Service Agreement, including that there will be no further...

Written Answers — Third Level Participation: Third Level Participation (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Ireland currently performs very strongly in terms of participation in higher education and has the highest tertiary attainment rate among 25-34 year olds in the European Union. Projections published by my Department in June 2011 show that the demand for higher education in Ireland is set to grow by 62% in the next twenty years. While welcome, the scale of projected growth will present major...

Written Answers — Apprenticeship Programmes: Apprenticeship Programmes (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The recently announced Government "Action Plan for Jobs" confirmed a commitment to review our apprenticeship model this year. The intention is to provide an updated model of training that will deliver the necessary skilled workforce to service the needs of a rapidly changing economy. My Department has begun work on a paper setting out the various issues, including those referred to in the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government recognises that small schools are an important part of the social fabric of rural communities. They will continue to be a feature of our education landscape. However, this does not mean that small schools can stand still or never have their staffing levels changed to something that is more affordable and sustainable for these difficult and challenging times. A Value for Money...

Written Answers — Third Level Admissions: Third Level Admissions (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 23 and 42 together. Higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their undergraduate courses and as autonomous institutions are responsible for setting their own eligibility and other entry criteria. Higher Education institutions are currently considering and progressing implementation of the recommendations...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, as part of the overall Budget measures announced last December, it was signalled that it is proposed to amend the means test for student grants to take account of the value of certain capital assets as well as income for new applicants from the 2013/14 academic year. A Capital Asset Test implementation group has been convened to develop and bring forward detailed...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Shared full-time posts and travel between schools is a long standing feature of the primary system. There were a plethora of long-standing clustering arrangements in place which were not the most practical, efficient or cost effective way to allocate resources. The new arrangements I announced last December are designed to address the limitations of the current arrangements and will operate...

Written Answers — Higher Education Institutions: Higher Education Institutions (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There is significant debate around the relative importance attached to rankings criteria and on their capacity to fully capture the quality of what is on offer in higher education institutions. The Times Higher Education World Reputation rankings are a new set of rankings in its second year and are based on reputational surveys only. As the Deputy will be aware, the catastrophic...