Results 10,321-10,340 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has recently submitted an application for capital funding to my Department. The application is being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains extensive data at individual school level in county order. The most recent information available relates to the 2010-11 school year. Statistical information in respect of the current school year is currently being compiled in my Department and is due for publication in September 2012. The criteria used for the allocation of...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I fully acknowledge that the reduction in resources to second level schools will be challenging for schools. However, the change must be seen in the context of the major challenges we have as a Government in trying to shelter public services to the greatest extent that we can in these exceptional times. The net impact on overall teacher numbers in our schools has been minimised to the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: On the 19th December 2011, I announced details of 56 major school building projects to commence construction in 2012 as part of the €430 million education infrastructure plan for 2012 representing the first phase of a €2 billion five-year plan for major school building projects. Information in respect of the plan for 2012 along with all assessed applications for major capital works is...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The project, to which the Deputy refers, commenced construction in December 2010 and is expected to be completed by April 2012.

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The HEA is responsible for collection data on student progression. The most recent report by the HEA entitled 'A study of Progression in Higher Education' is available on the HEA website. The table that follows from the report illustrates the non-presence rates of new entrants in their second year of study by sector, NFQ level and course duration. New entrants are classified as 'not present'...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs) for allocating resource teachers to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have now received their resource...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has sought the assistance of, and is working closely with, the relevant Local Authority in relation to identifying and acquiring a suitable site for the provision of permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy. Once a suitable site has been identified and acquired, the proposed building project will be considered in the context of the capital budget...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Design Team are currently working on Stage 2(b) of Architectural Planning which includes Planning Permission, Fire Certificate and Disability Access Certificate (DAC) and the preparation of tender documents which will then be submitted to my Department for review. The...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the process of tendering for appointment of a design team on the school building project to which he refers has recently commenced. The project will entail the extension and refurbishment of the existing school. An advertisement seeking suitably qualified consultants has been published on the Government's public procurement portal (www.etenders.gov.ie)...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: In relation to the specific merger of Co. Laois VEC and Co. Offaly VEC, I have decided that the headquarters of the Education and Training Board will be in Portlaoise. In arriving at this decision, I considered a range of factors including the need to ensure that the location of a VEC headquarters will, to the greatest extent possible, facilitate staff redeployment under a redeployment...

Written Answers — Overseas Students: Overseas Students (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: According to the annual survey of approved language schools carried out by Fáilte Ireland, an estimated 96,250 overseas English language students studied in Ireland in 2010. Figures are not yet available for 2011. The following number of English language students studied in Ireland in 2010 (or 2009, where current figures are not available):Japan: 2,000; South Korea: 3,100; China: 2,098...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: Circular 3/2012, issued on 31 January 2012, does not change the rates of allowances currently being paid to serving teachers and non-teaching staff in schools. However, pending the outcome of a public service-wide review by the Department of Public Enterprise and Reform, allowances are not payable to new beneficiaries; i.e. those who become eligible for receipt of the allowance in question...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and an integrated School Support Programme (SSP). Prior to the amalgamation of the schools, in the town in question, in September 2011, and as a result of the identification and review processes carried out in 2005/06, 2 of...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is currently finalising the report on the impact of the withdrawal of posts under older schemes on DEIS Band 1 and Band 2 primary schools only for submission to me this week. On receipt of this report, I will then make a decision on the final outcome for the individual schools involved and the staffing schedules for 2012/2013 will then be finalised and published in the coming...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: As a matter of routine, my Department reviews the student grant scheme each year to prepare policy proposals and to include changes announced under the relevant Budget. A decision on the reckonable income limits under the Student Grant Scheme for 2012/13 academic year will be taken in the context of this review and the Scheme will be published in due course. Nevertheless, in the context of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for a school building project. In accordance with the published criteria for large scale building projects, the project for this school has been assigned a Band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to clarify for the Deputy that the policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, in order to ensure that as many children as possible can be educated with their peers within their own community. My Department therefore provides for a range of placement options and...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: I have had contacts with Ministerial and official-level delegations from a range of countries which send students to Ireland, including Iran, which Enterprise Ireland records as sending around 80 students to Ireland each year. I am also aware that there are ongoing contacts between a number of Irish higher education institutions and their counterparts in Iran.

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (8 Feb 2012)

Ruairi Quinn: While student immigration is primarily a matter for the Minister for Justice and Equality, the Government has a co-ordinated policy and approach to improving Ireland's competitiveness as a centre for international education, through implementation of the international education strategy 2010-2015 and the new student immigration regime. My Department is in constant contact with both the...