Results 11,581-11,600 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information sought by the Deputy is being collated and will be forwarded as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The major building project at the school referred to by the Deputy was included in the Work Programme for 2011 announced last January. The Design Team are currently working on finalising the Stage 2(b) Submission (Detailed Design) which will then be submitted to my Department for review. Subsequently, assuming no further issues arise, my Department will be in contact with the Board of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is currently reconsidering an application for funding from the school referred to by the Deputy for the works in question. A decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports. This includes the allocation of resource teaching hours to schools as well as the establishment of special classes in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that 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 in schools. The National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) is the statutory agency which assists parents who are experiencing difficulty in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (No. 2) Act 2009 provided for a reduction in the remuneration of public servants. Section 3 provided that the reduction in pay would be disregarded in the calculation of pension entitlements for any person who left service before the end of 2010 or a later date specified by the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform. The Public...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department is currently considering an application for funding from the school referred to by the Deputy for the works in question. A decision will be conveyed to the school authority as soon as this process has been completed.

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans to make computer science a specific subject in schools. The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment advises that ICT is not a standalone subject but rather a tool to be integrated into the teaching and learning of all subjects, and this is in keeping with international practice. The NCCA has developed an ICT framework for schools setting out the skills which students...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for repairs to spalling concrete has been received from the schools referred to by the Deputy. The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is solely for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for special needs pupils. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to...

Written Answers — Teacher Training: Teacher Training (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Anecdotal evidence indicates that there is an oversupply of teachers currently and that there are newly qualified teachers not yet holding teaching positions in schools. The level of student intake to the state-funded Colleges of Education is determined annually by my Department and it takes account of the supply of, and demand for, primary teachers. The level of intake to these Colleges has...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A list of the primary and post primary schools in County Dublin that have rented temporary accommodation is included for the Deputy's attention. My Department does not hold such information in the sub-county format as requested. The Deputy may wish to note that in cases where schools have been approved for additional accommodation, schools have the option of building permanent classrooms or...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 157 and 162 together. Under the Education (Welfare) Act 2000, all schools are required to have in place a Code of Behaviour and this code must be drawn up in accordance with the guidelines of the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB). The NEWB guidelines were issued to schools in 2008 and make it clear that each school must have policies to prevent or...

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 158 and 159 together. The Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE) programme is a mandatory part of the curriculum in primary schools and in junior cycle since 2003 and is designed to promote positive mental health. It is supported by comprehensive teacher guidelines and curriculum support services which provide training and advice for schools and a...

Written Answers — Mental Health Services: Mental Health Services (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 160 and 161 together. Student teachers in the Primary Colleges of Education are supported across a range of courses to identify children who are at risk from a variety of causes, including those that would contribute to issues around mental health. These courses include Psychology, Sociology, Social Personal and Health Education and aspects of Teaching...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 163 and 164 together. Details of the costs associated with the printing, posting and administration of payslips to primary and post-primary teachers are set out in tabular format below. Printing Costs for the Primary and Post Primary Payslips Primary 2010 €40,758.00 Primary 2011 to date €36,474.00 Post Primary 2010 €36,474.00 Post Primary 2011 to...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 165 and 166 together. In arriving at my decision in relation to the location of headquarters of the merged VECs, 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 scheme within the context of the Croke Park Agreement and...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have held meetings with educational book publishers, representatives of parents' organisations and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul regarding the cost of school textbooks. I also had a further meeting with the book publishers on 10 October 2011. The publishers present stated that they were committed to the code of practice where publishers undertook not to publish new or revised editions...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme for fencing has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The purpose of the Emergency Works Scheme is solely for unforeseen emergencies or to provide funding to facilitate inclusion and access for special needs pupils. An emergency is deemed to be a situation which poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 to 173, inclusive, together. Significant support is given to schools by way of language support provision. The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to any school is determined by the numbers of eligible pupils enrolled and the associated assessed levels of those pupils' language proficiency. There are currently circa 840...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (18 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post-primary education in the late 1960s and were determined following consultation with local educational interests. For planning purposes the country was divided into geographic districts each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools. The intention was and...