Results 9,741-9,760 of 18,459 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 644: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when payment under the single farm payment will issue in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Cavan; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20207/12]

Sale of State Assets (24 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 117: To ask the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform if recent discussions with the Troika have impacted on the timetable for the proposed sale of State assets; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [20280/12]

Order of Business (20 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: There was no restriction on the Order of Business.

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

Brendan Smith: Question 16: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he supports the recommendation in the report of the Advisory Group on Patronage and Pluralism that stand alone schools be left alone unless they are in areas in which there is a stable population; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19380/12]

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

Brendan Smith: Question 86: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the progress of the capital asset implementation group; the assets the group are considering; when the group is expected to report; the next steps once the group have made their recommendations; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19685/12]

Written Answers — Enterprise Support Services: Enterprise Support Services (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 108: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the efforts made to date by the State agencies and his Department to protect employment at a plant (details supplied); if he will ensure that all assistance is given to ensure the retention of this employment in this jurisdiction; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19663/12]

Written Answers — Industrial Disputes: Industrial Disputes (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 109: To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation the progress that has been made in relation to the resolution of a long running dispute at a company (details supplied); if the State's industrial relations agencies have been involved in trying to reach a resolution in view of the urgent need to deal without further delay with the concerns of the employees of the company;...

Written Answers — Community Development: Community Development (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 148: To ask the Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government if he proposes to increase the upper limit for grant aid for community projects to be funded under the Leader programme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19665/12]

Written Answers — Agri-Environmental Options Scheme: Agri-Environmental Options Scheme (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 162: To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when it is proposed to re-open the agricultural environment options scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19666/12]

Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will be seeking to ensure that all teachers' allowances are protected under the review of allowances for public servants; his views on whether all such allowances are considered part of teachers pay under Croke Park; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [19683/12]

Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. I understood from his comments at the teachers' union conferences that he was conscious that allowances are part of the core pay of teachers. It is my understanding that teachers' allowances are considered part of the core pay under the Croke Park agreement. The Croke Park agreement has delivered benefits. As Fianna Fáil was part of the Government that...

Teachers' Remuneration (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: The Leas-Cheann Comhairle and I represent rural constituencies and are conscious that in the early and mid-1990s a major effort was made to develop a network of education centres throughout the country. That development was of great importance. The teaching profession, to its credit, led the campaign to have the facilities put in place on a regional basis in order that there would be access...

Educational Disadvantage (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 4: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if all DEIS band 1 and DEIS band 2 schools will retain their legacy posts in September as promised this year; and the reason a number of schools have received letters in recent weeks which seem to indicate that they are either losing a legacy post or that post is being subsumed into the number of mainstream teacher posts; and if he...

Educational Disadvantage (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: As Deputy Crowe stated, the DEIS programme has had a positive effect on tackling educational disadvantage. That is clear from an ESRI report, and also from the Educational Research Centre in St. Patrick's College, which showed that in the period 2007 to 2010, there were significantly higher scores for children under the DEIS programmes in reading and mathematics and that those extra supports...

Educational Disadvantage (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: Thankfully, they outlined to all of us and to the Minister, who knows as well as we do, that there has been significant much-needed progress in those schools. They are extremely disappointed that the Minister's review is not delivering what they expected and what they were promised.

Educational Disadvantage (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: I appreciate that.

Educational Disadvantage (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: I will write to the Minister tomorrow with the details of the three specific schools. These are schools that appreciate that the DEIS programme and its forerunner have been significantly beneficial to children, families and the wider community. They are extremely disappointed that the most recent correspondence from the Department flies in the face of what they understood from the...

Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. It is one area where there was rapid progress during the decade. On Leaders' Questions recently, in response to Deputy Micheál Martin, who began the whole process of allocating special needs assistants as Minister for Education and Science in 1998, the Taoiseach stated that from 2001 to 2010 the number of SNAs had tripled. That was a very good, much...

Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: The school year is coming to a close. I hope no child has been denied assistance when there was a surplus, as such, in provision. I am sure the Minister can assure us the council has ensured no child meeting the criteria and needing that assistance has been denied support.

Special Educational Needs (19 Apr 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister and agree with his sentiments. Will the cap remain the same for the 2012-13 school year as for the present school year?