Results 9,921-9,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has submitted an application to the Department for additional accommodation. This application is currently under consideration and officials from my Department will be in contact with the school shortly.

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In June 2011, I announced that 20 new primary and 20 new post-primary schools are to be established in the next six years across a number of locations. This announcement included a proposal to establish a new school in the area referred to by the Deputy. This school is to be established in September 2012. My Department invited patron bodies to make applications for patronage of the new...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports, including the approval of special classes for autism. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The tender process for the appointment of a design team for the school building project referred to by the Deputy is nearing completion. The members of the design team have been selected following a tender competition. The next step in the process will be the assessment of the proposed Design Team by the Project Supervisor Design Process (PSDP) as is required under Health and Safety...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department launched an online inventory of school accommodation which is available to schools on the Department's Esinet portal. The Inventory will provide key data and statistics on the existing school building stock throughout the country at both primary and post-primary levels. To date approximately 80% of schools have completed or are in the process of completing the inventory....

Written Answers — Schools Management: Schools Management (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with the provisions of the Education Act 1998, the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. It is a matter for each school to devise guidelines around the types of food that are available on the school premises and such policies should be driven by the needs and welfare of the pupils. I am aware that many schools have, in co-operation with...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or a legal guardian, or as independent mature students. An independent mature student is defined as a mature student who was not ordinarily resident with his or her parents or legal guardian from the October preceding entry or re-entry to further or higher education....

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that a reply to the correspondence from IMPACT to which the Deputy refers has issued from my Department and has been copied to the School Principal.

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A public service-wide review of allowances, announced by the Government as part of Budget 2012, is currently being led by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. Under Circular 70/2011, 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....

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Budget 2012 provided for the phased withdrawal of approximately 428 posts allocated to some schools under disadvantage programmes prior to the introduction of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Initiative in 2005. As already announced, the withdrawal of 192 posts from primary schools outside DEIS Band 1 and 2 and from DEIS second level schools will proceed, including...

Written Answers — Early Retirement Scheme: Early Retirement Scheme (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in the Pension Unit of my Department are addressing the pension benefit entitlements for those who are retiring at this time. The number of teachers in Primary Secondary, Community and Comprehensive schools who have applied to retire in the period 1 January to 29 February 2012 is 1,166. Information received from the Vocational Education Sector indicates that 220 teachers have...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 100 and 103 together. 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. This includes the detail of the reform of the allocation process which is designed to bring a more equitable distribution of existing posts between schools. The new arrangements incorporate a long...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority - local authority or VEC. Under the residency requirement of the Student Grant Scheme 2011, an applicant must have been legally resident in Ireland for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately prior to commencing an approved course in an approved institution. As non-residents may also apply to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The Design Team are currently working on finalising the Stage 2(a) Submission (Developed Sketch Scheme) which will then be forwarded to my Department for review. Thereafter, officials from my Department will be in contact with the Board of Management with regard to the further...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Budget 2012 provided for the phased withdrawal of approximately 428 posts allocated to some schools under disadvantage programmes prior to the introduction of the DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) Initiative in 2005. As already announced, the withdrawal of 192 posts from primary schools outside DEIS Band 1 and 2 and from DEIS second level schools will proceed with effect...

Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: From 1965 to 1970-odd, we closed 2,000 one-teacher and two-teacher schools.

Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Yes.

Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the 29 Deputies, including myself, who have contributed to this Second Stage debate. If these closing remarks are taken into account, 30 speeches will have been made by the time this debate concludes. That is evidence of the genuine interest in education of a wide range of Deputies across all sections of this House. I cannot recall a previous occasion when a Second Stage debate...

Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: An ignored child. That runs across the social spectrum. Perhaps the motivations in regard to delivering education equality in schools was properly constructed but perhaps we must look at the connotation and stigmatisation because there are unintended consequences, to which Deputy Mathews referred, where school X is not seen as a good feeder school for second level and so on. Those...

Education (Amendment) Bill 2012 [Seanad]: Referral to Select Sub-committee (1 Mar 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I move: That the Bill be referred to the Select Sub-committee on Education and Skills pursuant to Standing Orders 82A(3)(a) and (6)(a) and 126(1) of the Standing Orders relative to Public Business.