Results 9,261-9,280 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: The staffing arrangements for the 2012/13 school year are set out in Primary Circular 0007/2012 which is available on my Department's website. The staffing schedule also includes an appeals mechanism for schools to submit an appeal under certain criteria to an independent Appeals Board. Details of the criteria for appeal are contained in the staffing schedule, Circular 0007/2012. The...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that in view of the need to ensure that every child has access to a 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 demographic needs. This announcement represents...

Written Answers — Value for Money Reviews: Value for Money Reviews (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 29 and 33 together. There is no policy to close down small schools. Rather, we have to ensure that the very valuable but limited resources we have available to us are used in the best and fairest way across all of our schools. For this reason, the government took the difficult decision in the budget to increase the number of pupils required to gain and...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 30 and 56 together. I recently announced details of a forum to explore ways to tackle the problem of bullying in schools. This Anti-Bullying Forum is due to take place on the 17th of May 2012 and will bring together a range of experts, support groups and representatives of the schools sector including parents and students. It is envisaged that there will be a...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As a result of Budget 2012, the school to which the Deputy refers is one of 15 non-DEIS schools losing teaching posts retained under previous disadvantage programmes prior to the introduction of the DEIS Initiative in 2005. Under the Appeals process, where a school is losing 3 or more posts as a result of the combination of budget and reform measures, provision was made for schools to apply...

Written Answers — Schools Building Programme: Schools Building Programme (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 32 and 41 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the Five Year Plan prioritises new school building projects, including the new primary and post primary schools that I announced in June 2011, as well as major extensions in areas where a demographic need has been established. The Deputy will be aware of the demographic challenges that we are facing. Total...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The amount spent on renting temporary accommodation at primary and post-primary level, including – but not limited to - prefabricated accommodation since 2008 is outlined below: 2012: €29.3m (allocation)2011: €28.9m2010: €29.3 2009: €39m As the Deputy is aware I recently announced an initiative to replace rented prefabs in schools. Almost 200 schools have been offered an opportunity...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Disability Access Route to Education (DARE) is a third-level admissions scheme for students with a disability. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. I understand that the requirement that some of the reports requested under the scheme should be less than...

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

Ruairi Quinn: One of the elements of the Croke Park Agreement is that teachers will provide an additional hour per week to facilitate a range of essential whole school activities, at the discretion of school management. The central purpose of the additional time requirement is to provide for activities such as parent-teacher meetings and school planning meetings to take place without reducing class...

Written Answers — Physical Education: Physical Education (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The funding provided to Active Flag was €116,000 per year for the past three years. We have allocated €80,000 to this Initiative in 2012. Recognising the contribution of physical activity to the health and wellbeing of children and to increase the physical activity levels of school children, in 2009 the Department of Education and Skills launched the Active School Flag (ASF) to...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In October 2011, following Government approval, 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 the committee's report to which I responded on 25 January 2012, the General Scheme was referred to the Office of the Parliamentary...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that there has been no reduction in the overall number of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts available for allocation to schools this year. 10,575 Whole Time Equivalent (WTE) SNA posts have been made available for allocation to schools by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) throughout the school year, subject to qualifying applications being...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on my Department's website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The relevant appointment and retention figures for mainstream staffing for the...

Written Answers — Access to Higher Education: Access to Higher Education (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A wide range of actions to improve access to third level education are being progressed through the implementation of the National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (2008-2013). Key achievements to date include the development of access and lifelong learning plans for all higher education institutions funded by the HEA. These include plans for the continuation and development of...

Written Answers — Anti-Poverty Strategy: Anti-Poverty Strategy (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Programme for Government contains a specific commitment to achieving the targets as set out in the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion 2007-2016 to reduce the number of people experiencing poverty. Plans to tackle child poverty are outlined in the national Action Plan and the Government is committed to achieving these targets. These targets are currently being reviewed to ensure...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 46 and 87 together. I fully acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the change must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. The net impact on overall teacher...

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

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy may be aware, in June 2011 I announced that 20 new post-primary schools are to be established up to 2017 across a number of locations to cater for increasing demographics. I also stated at that time that an initial decision would be made by my Department, before seeking applications for patronage, on whether the school would operate through the medium of Irish or English and...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 48 and 64 together. A new dedicated staffing schedule will apply to DEIS Band 1 schools from September 2012, ensuring that these schools operate their entitlement to more favourable pupil teacher ratios of 20:1 in junior schools, 22:1 in vertical schools and 24:1 in senior schools under DEIS. In addition, 140 Band 1 and Band 2 schools will retain the more...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the Deputy is referring to an application for improved accommodation submitted by Scoil Caitlín Maude. I can confirm that in the context of considering the application my Department carried out a site visit to the school this week. The outcome of this visit will now be considered and my Department will be in further contact with the school authorities as soon as this...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department allocates recurrent funding to the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for direct disbursement to the Institutes of Technology. The core grant for the University and Institute of Technology Sectors is allocated according to the Recurrent Grant Allocation Model (RGAM), which distributes the grant according to student numbers by area of study. The RGAM aims to equitably fund similar...