Results 1,001-1,020 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Schemes (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Higher Education Access Route (HEAR) is a college and university admissions scheme which offers places on reduced points and extra college support to school leavers from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme is operated by a number of higher education institutions and not by my Department. Admissions to the institutions are regulated by the institutions themselves. ...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The new post-primary school for North Wicklow is not opening until 2016. Therefore, its enrolment policy has not yet been put in place. School enrolment policies are a matter for a School's Board of Management in consultation with the Patron, which, in this case, is Educate Together.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is currently analysing demographics on a nationwide basis to identify areas where additional school accommodation might be needed into the future. The Tallaght area will be examined as part of this process. The Deputy will probably be aware, 4 new primary schools have already commenced operation in this area between 2012 and 2013. A further...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In relation to sites for new school provision, a range of factors are taken into account by my Department in assessing the suitability of a specific site, including safe access, traffic management and mobility issues. Considerations include safe circulation on the school grounds and also safe access to the grounds. In most cases, the preplanning consultation with the local authority would...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at tender stage. Subject to no issues arising, it is anticipated that Waterford & Wexford ETB will commence the appointment process with the preferred bidder in the coming weeks.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As stated in a previous reply to the Deputy, it is a matter for the Board of Management of each individual school to decide on its own school policy regarding whether or not workbooks should be used in schools. Therefore, I have not told teachers to discontinue the use of these workbooks but I have ensured that a number of strategies to avoid the need for workbooks or to allow workbooks to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Entry requirements for courses in medicine are determined by the medical schools of the relevant Universities. A group of representatives from these medical schools and the Higher Education Authority was established to examine the implementation of revised entry criteria for undergraduate medical programmes. Following recommendations from the group, the four universities with undergraduate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Caranua is an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. While the Deputy has not set out his concerns regarding the day-to-day operational services of Caranua I can advise the Deputy that Caranua has confirmed that all applicants to it are given written decisions on their applications. The first part of the application process is to verify that an applicant is eligible to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am satisfied that all of the issues raised by the Deputy have been adequately covered in the Guidelines for Developing Textbook Rental Schemes which I have published and which have been widely publicised.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Establishment (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The intention is that Shellybanks Educate Together National School will open in temporary accommodation in September 2014 in a building on the Simmonscourt Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin 4. An application for planning permission has been lodged to enable this. The school will be starting up with an enrolment of 3 junior infant classes or some 84 pupils. With regard to permanent accommodation, a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a building project to facilitate the amalgamation of the two schools referred to, is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Planning permission has been obtained for the project. This is currently under appeal to An Bord Pleanála and a decision on that appeal is awaited. Both schools currently operate two streams catering for 16 mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department, in conjunction with some Patron bodies have taken a number of measures to ensure that additional junior infant places are available in September 2014. This includes the establishment of a new primary school, Shellybanks Educate Together N.S. in Ballsbridge which will enrol three junior infant classes. In addition, some existing primary schools have agreed to increase the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Management (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The statutory role and functions of the Children's Ombudsman are set out under sections 8 and 9 in the Ombudsman for Children Act, 2002. The Act empowers the Children's Ombudsman to investigate the administrative procedures followed by a school board of management provided the parent has firstly and fully followed the schools complaints procedures. The key criterion for any intervention by...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that on 20th March last I announced that 386 schools have been approved funding under the Summer Works scheme to undertake school improvements. This first round of funding will allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works across three categories of projects - Gas, Electrical and Mechanical. A second round of the scheme is expected to be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Article 32 of the Student Grant Scheme 2013 provides for the review of eligibility for the award of grant assistance in the event of changes of circumstances in the academic year, including a change in relation to a student's nationality or immigration status. This means that where a student acquires Irish citizenship by naturalisation, or is granted permission to remain, provided for in the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Department of Education and Skills Circular 0007/2014 sets out the criteria for the allocation of teaching posts to primary schools for the 2014/2015 school year. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A major capital application for the amalgamated school to which the Deputy refers was received by the Department in February 2007. Both existing school sites were assessed and one of the sites was deemed suitable for development of a new school building. The Design Team Appointment Process then commenced in June 2011 and was completed in January 2012. Stage 1 of Architectural Planning,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (16 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is the responsibility of each individual school to decide on the most appropriate way to explore the personal and local history section of the History Curriculum for Primary schools. A close and detailed reading of the Primary History Curriculum and the Guidelines for teachers that accompany this curriculum will show that a number of suggestions are provided to teachers regarding this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Momentum Programme Issues (15 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS who manage the Momentum programme. I understand from SOLAS that 6,061 participants started Momentum projects in 2013. 396 have started in 2014 to date.