Results 11,221-11,240 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of the implementation of the National Strategy for Higher Education, I have asked the Higher Education Authority (HEA) for their formal advice on final appropriate performance criteria against which amalgamated institutes of technology can be assessed for designation to technological university status. Following consideration of advice received from HEA, I intend to publish the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that 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. This includes applications for the establishment of special classes. The NCSE operates within the Department's criteria in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

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 and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 41 and 53 together. I do not propose to give any specific commitment on the overall number of teaching posts in the education sector or on any changes to the pupil teacher ratio and the impact it could have. These are issues that I am considering with my colleagues in Cabinet in the context of the forthcoming budget discussions and meeting our obligations...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: When the moratorium was introduced the Government exempted Principal and Deputy Principal posts in all primary and post-primary schools and these continue to be replaced in the normal manner. The impact of the moratorium is therefore limited to the Director of Adult Education, Assistant Principal and Special Duties allowances payable to teachers on promotion. Vacancies at this level arise...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for students with special educational needs. In particular, its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) co-ordinates special needs education provision at local level and arranges for the delivery of special...

Written Answers — National Parks: National Parks (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The provision of a Memorial to victims of abuse while in residential care was one of the recommendations of the Report of the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse, which were unanimously accepted and supported by Dáil Éireann. A Committee was appointed to oversee the design and commissioning of the Memorial with a budget of up €0.5m. The competition for the Memorial is underway and I...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The condition of the country's finances mean that further difficult decisions will have to be taken by Government to reduce expenditure on public services. All sectors, including education, are being examined as part of the Comprehensive Expenditure Review and the full range of savings options identified as part of the Review will inform the Government's decisions in the Estimates process....

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Advance funding issued to grant awarding authorities in September of this year to enable the timely payment of student grants/student contributions and fees. Further funding will be made available, where needed, on foot of returns due from the grant awarding authorities later this month.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The issue to which the Deputy refers relates to the change in the residence requirement in the student grant schemes for the 2010/11 academic year. From the start of that academic year, the residence requirement to be met by a student in order to qualify for the maintenance grant was changed from a one-year requirement to have been living in the State directly prior to attending college, to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department strives to ensure that a continuum of special education provision is available as required for children with special educational needs. In line with this approach the policy is to promote a child-centred approach to education of all children with special educational needs including those with autism. My Department's policy is based on advice received from international experts...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment proposals were developed following a major consultation process with stakeholders. The Council also has a network of schools with which it engages on a continuing basis to get the views of practising teachers. We must now begin to plan for implementation. In line with normal practice, my Department will enter into discussions with national...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Historical data on the rental cost of prefabs units is readily available from 2009 onwards. Rented prefabs may be used for Mainstream Classrooms and/or Resource Rooms/Special Needs Rooms. The following Table sets out the annual rental cost of prefab units in counties Dublin, Laois and Offaly for 2009, 2010 and to date in 2011 as requested. ANNUAL EXPENDITURE FOR RENTED PREFABS (PRIMARY...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Applications for part-time language support at primary level relate to schools that have less than 14 eligible pupils for language support. Decisions on these applications were deferred until the Autumn, having regard to the overall level of demand for full-time language support and other upward pressures on teacher numbers within the context of operating under a fixed ceiling on teacher...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: While it is very positive that the numbers of students accepting places on ICT undergraduate programmes have increased by almost 30% over the last 3 years, the impact of this will take time to feed through into increased graduate output. My officials have been working very closely with Forfás, the HEA and representatives of the ICT sector to more precisely identify the shortages that are...

Written Answers — Third Level Remuneration: Third Level Remuneration (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that agreement was reached in April 2009 which provided that unapproved payments would cease in the case of senior staff in universities. This regularised the remuneration of the individuals concerned apart from a limited number of outstanding issues in some universities. My Department requested the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to conduct an exercise to determine...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Nov 2011)

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 and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Applications...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, the reality of our economic situation presents significant challenges that have to be reconciled with limitations on public resources. Ireland must adhere to its agreed economic recovery programme in order to reduce the budget deficit to 3% of GDP by 2015 and to restore our independence. This will mean that forthcoming budgets will involve further adjustments in...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Following detailed consultation between the Irish universities and the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI) in the context of the ongoing process of implementing the National Framework of Qualifications (NFQ), the universities, including University College Dublin, have agreed that the initial post-primary teaching qualification, hitherto known as the Higher Diploma in Education...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Nov 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97 and 104 together. The process of assessing and paying third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. I am aware that the timing of payment varies between the 66 awarding authorities depending on a number of factors including the volume of applications received, staffing resources and whether or not properly...