Results 10,021-10,040 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that medical and therapy supports for children who are suffering from mental health problems are provided by the Health Service Executive. My Department provides for Special Needs Assistant (SNA) support for children who have care needs relating to an assessment of Emotional Behavioural Disorder (EBD) or Severe Emotional Behavioural Disorder (SEBD). SNA support is...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that a number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act have already been commenced. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) made recommendations which suggested that additional investment over a period of years of up to €235m per annum, across the education and health sectors, would be required to fully implement...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post- primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by a member of the panel of private psychologists approved by NEPS, and NEPS will...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The main purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is to ensure the availability of funding for urgent works to those schools that are most in need of resources as a result of an emergency situation or on receipt of an enrolment application from a special needs pupil. An emergency is a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or the environment, which is sudden,...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware, the Government's Medium Term Infrastructure and Capital Investment Framework, which was published on 10th November last, sets out the demographic challenge facing the education system. Total enrolment in both primary and post-primary schools is expected to grow by almost 70,000 between now and 2018 - over 45,000 at primary level and 25,000 at post primary - and will...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority - local authority or VEC. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form, including those relating to nationality, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student would qualify for a...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 231 and 239 together. The Deputy will be aware that an application for planning permission for a school building on a site in the area was recently refused on appeal to An Bord Pleanála. Officials from my department are working in conjunction with the Local Authority towards securing permanent sites to meet current and projected future needs at primary level...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Report on the net impact , in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published on 21 February 2012. The report provides data on 140 DEIS Band 1 and DEIS Band 2 schools which were identified as being impacted by the possible loss of posts. Where schools are...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Report on the Net Impact , in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published on 21 February 2012. The report provides data on 140 DEIS Band 1 and DEIS Band 2 schools which were identified as being impacted by the possible loss of posts. Where schools are...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 234, 235, 241 and 242 together. It is not possible at the moment to provide the information sought by the Deputies as the priority for my Department is to complete the teacher allocation process at this time. Notifications are currently being finalised to issue to each DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 school of their staffing entitlements for 2012/13, including the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the tender process for the appointment of a design team for the school building project to which he refers is nearing completion. A final check of the preferred candidates insurances and tax clearance is under way. Once this is complete, assuming no issues arise, the contracts of appointment will issue to the design team consultants. The Department...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 237, 244 and 253 together. In his address to Dáil Éireann on December 5th 2011 the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced that Public Service bodies will have to achieve a reduction of 5% in the cost of allowances and premium payments in 2012. In order to achieve the necessary reduction, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In his address to Dáil Éireann on December 5th 2011 the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform announced that Public Service bodies will have to achieve a reduction of 5% in the cost of allowances and premium payments in 2012. In order to achieve the necessary reduction, the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform is conducting a review of allowances and premium payments across the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Feb 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. In January 2012, I asked my Department to report on the net effect, in terms of posts, of this Budget measure on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 243 and 251 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 — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Report on the net impact , in terms of posts, of Budget measures on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 urban primary schools that still had additional posts allocated under disadvantage schemes, pre-dating DEIS was published on 21 February 2012. Due to conflicting numbers of posts being reported as potentially lost to Band 1 and 2 schools it was necessary to obtain clarity with regard to the net...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 246 and 247 together. More than 750 places have been provided on 17 higher diploma ICT Skills conversion Programmes as one of the measures included in the joint Government-Industry ICT Action Plan to boost the domestic supply of ICT graduates for Irish employment opportunities. Participating institutions will decide their own academic entry requirements. The...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for the relevant grant awarding authority. The Deputy will appreciate that in the absence of all of the relevant details that would be contained in an individual's application form and supporting documentation, it would not be possible for me to say whether or not a student should qualify for a grant. An applicant may appeal the...

Written Answers — Standardised School Year: Standardised School Year (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I assume the Deputy is referring to the standardisation of the mid-term, Christmas and Easter breaks for all schools. The arrangements for the standardisation of these breaks are agreed under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council and were first introduced in 2004 to implement a specific requirement in the national agreement Sustaining Progress. Sustaining Progress set the...

Written Answers — Departmental Correspondence: Departmental Correspondence (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: A reply has issued to the correspondence referred to by the Deputy.