Results 9,281-9,300 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52, 90 and 95 together. Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Initiative the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing full-time undergraduate courses of study which are a minimum of two years duration in an approved institution. With effect from the 2011/2012 academic year, a new student contribution...

Written Answers — Schools Guidance Counsellors: Schools Guidance Counsellors (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 53, 67 and 97 together. All schools must continue to provide guidance to their pupils. However, from September 2012 guidance provision will be managed by schools from within their standard staffing allocation. As things currently stand 42% of second level schools do not presently have a full-time guidance counsellor. My Department has published Circular...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The information as requested by the Deputy for teachers in primary, secondary and community/comprehensive schools is not available. As the Deputy will be aware, it is my intention to commence Section 30 of the Teaching Council Act following the enactment of the Education (Amendment) Bill 2012. This will prohibit the employment of unregistered teachers except in very limited circumstances....

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

Ruairi Quinn: The landscape documentation describes a future higher education system which can meet a diversity of needs. This includes Institutes of Technology developing and strengthening their role within their current designation. The building of regional collaborative clusters of all our higher education institutions is key to the delivery of many of the most important objectives of the National...

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

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's policy on educating children with autism is centred on an inclusive, child centred approach promoting the use of a range of autism specific interventions including Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA),TEACCH and PECs. Children in special classes have the benefit of fully-qualified teachers who are trained in educating and developing children generally and who have access to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (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.

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (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.

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

Ruairi Quinn: The HEA has advised that between 2008 and 2011 full-time student numbers increased by 12.5% while core staffing numbers have decreased by 9.5% in the Institute of Technology sector. However the economic circumstances of the country are such that the staffing moratorium introduced across the public sector by the previous Government in 2009 has to be maintained. In contrast to other parts of...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware Budget 2012 provided for a 2% reduction in the funding for capitation and related grants to primary and second level schools in both 2012 and 2013 and a further 1% in 2014 and 2015.

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I welcome the publication of the Educational Research Centre (ERC) report on PISA 2009 which summarises all of the valuable research that the ERC and experts from Statistics Canada have completed on the achievement of Irish students in PISA 2009 and I note that the report confirms the analysis of the PISA 2009 data that was carried out by the ERC and Statistics Canada on behalf of the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: My Department, in conjunction with the Department of Education in Northern Ireland, is planning a joint attitudinal survey exercise to inform cross-Border pupil movement and school planning in the Border region. An interim report of work on the survey will be presented to the next North-South Ministerial Council education meeting which will take place in May 2012. It is envisaged that the...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As a result of Budget 2012, Circular 70/2011 provides that teachers who had been engaged in a public sector teaching post on or before 4 December 2011 are eligible to retain the qualification allowances they were entitled to be in receipt of on that date. Such teachers will not be paid any additional allowance where they acquire any further qualification on or after 5 December 2011. The...

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

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

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: There have been no salary increases requested by me or granted in respect of my two special advisors since their appointment. The Ministers of State at my Department do not have special advisors.

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. The Ministers of State at my Department do not have Special Advisors. Special Advisors in the Department of Education and Skills Name/ Gross salary(per annum) Salary increasesreceived since taking upoffice Mr. John Walshe €92,672 Nil Ms. Deirdre Grant €86,604 Nil

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (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...

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

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the appointment of a Board of Management of a school is a matter for the relevant school patron. Under the provisions of the Act, where a patron determines that the appointment of a board is not practicable, or where the patron, with the consent of the Minister, has dissolved a board of management, the patron may appoint a manager...

Written Answers — Educational Tours: Educational Tours (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Decisions in relation to educational tours by schools are a matter for each individual school. In accordance with my Department's circulars, the objective of an educational tour should be to provide a significant benefit in the educational, intellectual, cultural and social development of pupils taking part. It is a matter for each individual school to decide on the suitability of any...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. The Higher Education Authority has been requested to contact each institution seeking such details. It is expected that the information will be available in the coming weeks and I will arrange to have it forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Fire Safety: Fire Safety (19 Apr 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 92 and 98 together. Officials in my Department have no role or statutory authority to undertake "fire safety checks" or sign off on "fire stopping" in new school buildings. Works in connection with the design and construction of a new school building or which involve the material alteration of existing school buildings are likely to require a Fire Safety...