Results 11,641-11,660 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that it is my intention to lease the entire former community school site referred to by the Deputy, including the portion of a building occupied by the school to which he refers, to the City of Dublin VEC. This matter is currently being handled by legal advisors for both parties. Once this lease is executed between my Department and the VEC, the VEC will then be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 142 and 143 together. The Deputy will be aware that 10,575 whole time equivalent (WTE) posts are being provided for SNA support for 2011. This is a significant number of posts and unlike other areas of the public sector, which are subject to a recruitment moratorium, vacancies may be filled up to this number. At June 2011, there were 10,802 posts in place,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that County Cork VEC has identified a possible site to accommodate the amalgamated school referred to by the Deputy. Following assessment of the site's suitability, my Department will be in touch with County Cork VEC in relation to this matter. However, given the sensitivities associated with land acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further at this point...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is proceeding with the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill on the basis of the General Scheme prepared by my Department. These proposals followed extensive consultations with survivors of residential abuse and the groups which support them, together with a public consultation process. The General Scheme, together with a copy of a Report on the...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is proceeding with the drafting of the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Bill on the basis of the General Scheme prepared by my Department. These proposals followed extensive consultations with survivors of residential abuse and the groups which support them, together with a public consultation process. The General Scheme, together with a copy of a Report on the...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has approved the following funding for the National Council for Special Education since its establishment. Year Total Issued 2004 €1,666,394.31 2005 €4,325,000 2006 €7,187,000 2007 €8,515,000 2008 €8,219,671.50 2009 €9,250,000 2010 ...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 151 and 148 together. The Deputy will be aware of this Government's commitment to special education provision at a time when savings are being required across a range of expenditure areas, which will ensure that children with special educational needs can continue to have access to educational facilities in line with their requirements. Some 10,575 whole time...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Approximately 15% of the entire budget of my Department – some €1.3 billion – will be spent in support of children with Special Educational Needs this year. This provision is in line with expenditure in 2010 and shows that despite the current economic difficulties, funding for special education has not been cut. The continued commitment of this Government to special education...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Under Budget 2011, the previous Fianna Fáil-Green party Government introduced changes to the qualifying criteria for the non-adjacent rate of student grant. These changes remove the automatic entitlement of mature students to the non-adjacent rate of grant and increase the qualifying distance criterion for that rate of grant to 45kms. As the previous Government had factored in the savings...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The number of staff employed by the National Council for Special Education in each of the past five years, as at end December each year, was: Year Number of staff employed 2006 92.5 2007 94.5 2008 104.5 2009 109.5 2010 109.1

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 153 and 156 to 158, inclusive, together. 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 scheme within the context of the Croke Park Agreement and the need to operate at lowest cost having...

Written Answers — School Meals Programme: School Meals Programme (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Further to the Deputy's parliamentary question 26452 of 28th September last, the estimated cost of providing a daily lunch meal for 509,652 school going children in primary schools currently and based on an estimate of €3 per lunch, would cost in the region of €280 million per annum.

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In November of last year, my officials sought information regarding head office accommodation from Co Westmeath VEC and Co Longford VECs. Information provided on foot of that request indicates the office in Mullingar has 630 square meters of office space with capacity for a total of 41 staff and that there were 39 head office staff in total employed in both VECs. The rental costs of VEC...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream and special schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's policy in allocating this support. The special school referred to by the...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I assume the Deputy is referring to the decision of the previous Fianna Fail - Green Party Government to increase the pupil/teacher ratio in schools and to remove certain funding from Protestant fee-charging schools in the Budget of October 2008. There are currently 55 fee-charging second level schools in the country, of which 20 are Protestant, two Inter-denominational, one Jewish and the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, 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....

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is contained in the table. An Foras Áiseanna Saothair (FAS) Name Date Appointed Renewal Date Michael Dempsey (Chair) 21/01/2010 21/01/2015 Tony Dempsey 22/01/2010 21/01/2013 Michael Moriarty 28/07/2011 21/01/2015 Emer Gilvarry 21/01/2010 21/01/2014 Martin Hogan 21/01/2010 21/01/2013 Annette Hughes 21/01/2010 21/01/2014 Paddy McDonagh...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Responsibility for tackling bullying falls to the level of the individual school, as it is at local level that an effective anti-bullying climate must be established and at that level that actions should be taken to address allegations of bullying. 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...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A moratorium on recruitment and promotion in the public sector is being implemented following a decision by the previous Government in Mach 2009, and is binding upon all Government departments, non-commercial state bodies and agencies. No public service post, however arising, may be filled by recruitment, promotion or payment of an allowance for performance of duties at a higher grade. Where...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In June of this year I announced that up to 40 new schools are to be established within the next six years, comprising of twenty new primary schools and twenty new post-primary schools to cater for the increase in school going population across these identified locations. It is not proposed to open a new primary school in the general Dundalk area as the demographics of the area do not support...