Results 9,961-9,980 of 18,459 for speaker:Brendan Smith

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 242: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills if he will detail the amount of the savings made through cuts in teacher allocations to DEIS and small schools which will be retained in his Department to fund the proposed literacy strategy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11156/12]

Written Answers — Natural Gas Grid: Natural Gas Grid (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 458: To ask the Minister for Communications, Energy and Natural Resources the proposals, if any, there are to extend the natural gas network to a centre (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11575/12]

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 764: To ask the Minister for Health the full capacity of a nursing unit (details supplied) in County Cavan; the bed capacity that is designated for long-term patients; the number of beds designated for respite care; the number of beds in use at present; when it is proposed to use the full complement of beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11573/12]

Written Answers — Hospital Accommodation: Hospital Accommodation (28 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 765: To ask the Minister for Health the full bed capacity of a nursing unit (details supplied) in County Cavan; the bed capacity that is designated for long-term patients; the number of beds designated for respire care; the number of beds in use at present; when it is proposed to use the full complement of beds; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [11574/12]

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I urge the Minister, bearing in mind the pressures on the offices of the Parliamentary Counsel and the Attorney General, to ensure the legislation is put in place as soon as possible. I have previously raised with him in parliamentary questions and at the committee the expressed concerns of the representative groups with which he met in July 2011 to discuss the remit of the statutory fund to...

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: It is hoped the Minister or his officials will, prior to the legislation being brought before the House, have an opportunity to iron out the remaining concerns of the representative groups, that we will all be in a position to support the legislation when it is brought before the House and that it will achieve what everyone wants it to achieve.

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I welcome the report and the Minister's statement that it is only a preliminary report. The issue of sustainability is of huge importance. The Minister has rightly mentioned the growth in numbers, which is a welcome development. Even in these difficult and challenging economic times, undergraduate enrolments in the academic year 2010-11 increased by 4% on the figure for the previous year,...

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I, too, believe there is room for better utilisation of existing facilities. These facilities have been put in place at great cost to the Exchequer in a worthwhile investment that will provide a good return to the taxpayer. I emphasise we must maintain the quality of access to third level students in all parts of the country while at the same time appreciating one cannot have centres of...

Departmental Reports (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. Even though the pupil-teacher ratio was increased slightly, all Members accept that fee-paying schools do not face the challenges faced by so many schools in disadvantaged areas in particular. Is it true that such private schools take in €120 million in fees? Is that general figure correct? If particular changes are to be made, cognisance must be...

Schools Amalgamation (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I support what Deputy Crowe said about the schools under the patronage of minority faiths. The amalgamation of those schools in my two counties is exhausted. If one or two of the remaining schools closed, it would not be possible to bring the children to another under the patronage of their own church. The Minister of State and the Minister may have seen a joint statement by Father John Joe...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 21: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills when he expects the review on cuts to DEIS announced in the budget for 2012 to be published; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10188/12]

Written Answers — Community Employment Schemes: Community Employment Schemes (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 137: To ask the Minister for Social Protection the number of community employment schemes in counties Cavan and Monaghan that are having their training and materials grant allocations reviewed; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [10473/12]

Written Answers — Hospital Services: Hospital Services (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 217: To ask the Minister for Health the position regarding the proposal to provide a medical assessment unit in Monaghan General Hospital; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10472/12]

Disadvantaged Status (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 1: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason he refused to release information under a recent freedom of information request relating to advice received by him on his decision to cut 428 DEIS posts in Budget 2012; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10383/12]

Disadvantaged Status (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. My party welcomes the partial reversal of the decision that was made in the budget to eliminate 428 DEIS posts. Some 193 will still be lost. I am very disappointed that he stands over the decision to refuse to accede to our request under freedom of information. This was part of the budgetary process and documentation between the various Departments and...

Disadvantaged Status (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: -----full information been not been analysed. Surely we are entitled to see what information was available to the Minister and what information he had the opportunity to read before making that decision. The Minister has been consistent over the years, whether in government or in opposition, in calling for a widening and a better use of the Freedom of Information Acts for the public...

Disadvantaged Status (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Public representatives on all sides were able to point to the success of DEIS and the research and evidence was there to demonstrate the importance of continuing DEIS. I have still a worry when I am aware that 16 schools in rural areas are losing posts under the review that has taking place. It also concerns me that the measurement of poverty in a rural context may not be as accurate as it...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: Question 4: To ask the Minister for Education and Skills the reason he based his decision to abolish the modern languages in primary schools initiative on one line in a 2008 NCCA report called the Modern Languages in the Primary School Curriculum: Feasibility and Futures, a line which was taken completely out of context; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [10384/12]

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: I thank the Minister for his reply. I note he said this initiative "has been" a pilot initiative. It is not a pilot programme because it became an initiative and has long lost its pilot status. The programme was exceptionally successful. Moreover, it had a small budget and my understanding is that it was delivered under-budget in successive years. We submitted a freedom of information...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Brendan Smith: The 2008 report was extremely complimentary of the modern languages initiative. While it referred to possible overload, its recommendation was that the initiative should continue. The Minister rightly points out that the programme was never rolled out to all schools. In commentary attributed to him and to the Department there was a suggestion that a cap had been placed on an extension of...