Results 10,041-10,060 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

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

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Design Team are currently working on finalising the Stage 2(b) Submission (Detailed Design and Tender Documents) 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...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Where an amalgamation is being considered between schools in a Gaeltacht area, the sociolinguistic factors of the community of each school should be considered by the Patron(s). If the school to which the Deputy refers wishes to amalgamate, it is open to the school to identify a suitable amalgamation partner in their locality. Any proposal to amalgamate would have to be approved by the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that under the Education Act 1998, legally, all schools are managed by school Boards of Management, on behalf of the school patrons or trustees, and it is the Board of Management that employ the teachers at the school. Accordingly, whereas I provide funding and policy direction for schools, neither I nor the Department have legal powers to instruct schools to follow...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 259 to 263, inclusive, together. My Department does not have details of the number of employees at each of the seven universities, DIT and GMIT who receive a gross salary of between €50,000 and €99,999 per annum Based on information provided by individual institutions in January details in respect of the other salary bands are contained in the following...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 264 and 265 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 conducting...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Feb 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 names...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The first table shows the pay scales and allowances paid to teachers with effect from 1 January 2010 compared with the reduced pay scales and allowances for new entrant teachers that took effect on 1 January 2011. 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...

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

Ruairi Quinn: As I indicated to the Deputy in my response to his question of 21 February, 2012, the enrolment of a child in a school is a matter in the first instance for the parents of the child and the Board of Management of a school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment to schools. My Department provides for a range of placement options and supports for schools...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The table outlines the costs of advertisements placed by my Department in national newspapers for job vacancies in the civil and public service since January 2011. My Department, through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) placed an advertisement in the print media in December 2011 inviting applications for the position of primary and post primary inspectors. To date no appointments have...

Written Answers — Telecommunications Services: Telecommunications Services (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: This school is currently provided with a satellite connection the Schools Broadband Access Programme. There have been two attempts to provide this school with a DSL (fixed line) connection, however both attempts failed because of the distance between the school and the Eircom exchange, DSL connectivity is only possible within a certain distance of an exchange. The contracts for connectivity...

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

Ruairi Quinn: Responsibility for the payment of insurance to cover employers and public liability, and property damage rests with the Board of Management of primary schools. The cost of insurance is met by schools from the grants paid by my Department. It is a matter for the Board of Management to determine which provider it will purchase its insurance from.

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

Ruairi Quinn: A developing school post is defined as a school where the enrolment on 30 September, 2012 is projected to exceed the enrolment on 30 September 2011. The criteria for developing school posts for 2012/13 school year is set out in circular 0007/2012. The number of posts retained by a DEIS school following the Government's decision to retain posts in Band 1 and 2 DEIS schools from previous...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The July Education Programme is an educational programme operated by my Department for children who have been diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorder and/or a severe to profound general learning disability. The Home Based programme is available where a child cannot avail of the school based programme. A maximum of 40 hours' home tuition can be approved for the month of July .This...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (28 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: To date my Department has not been advised of any waiver of fees by individual board members of those bodies under the aegis of my Department where fees are applicable. In respect of one of such bodies, I would like to inform the Deputy that remuneration fees will not apply to the new Board of the State Examinations Commission (SEC) which is due to be established shortly. The following fees...

School Curriculum (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I do not share the Deputy's opinion. Mathematical skills are taught in a variety of different ways. Transition year is the appropriate time for linkages to be made between that and consumer consciousness, budgeting, household management and so on.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Work on the drafting of the residential institutions statutory fund Bill is at an advanced stage. I hope to be in a position to publish the Bill in the coming weeks. While it is not possible at this point to set out a specific timescale for the establishment of the fund, I can confirm that it is my intention to proceed to establish it as quickly as possible following enactment of the Bill.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The general scheme which is being drafted provides for the services to be provided to include counselling, psychological support services and mental health services, together with such health and personal social services, educational and housing services as the fund may determine. That is the wording that has been submitted to the Parliamentary Counsel. I know that many of the...

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: That is my intention. The Deputy has met representatives of the groups involved and will be aware there is no unanimity on what should happen. However, I will do my best. While I am open to having a wide-ranging debate on the legislation on Committee Stage, there is no clear consensus among the survivors.

Legislative Programme (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government's intention is that €110 million will be available through the fund, being the cash portion of the offers made by the religious congregations in the aftermath of the publication of the Ryan report. However, to date, only €21.05 million of the cash contributions has been received and placed in a special interest bearing account in the Central Bank pending establishment of...

Higher Education Funding (23 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In line with the national strategy for higher education, the Higher Education Authority was asked to examine the inter-relationships between funding levels, the scale of growth and the maintenance of quality in the system in order that realistic and sustainable levels of growth in numbers could be supported and that better informed choices could be made on policy options for future funding....