Results 11,721-11,740 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the Home Tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement. Parents engage tutors directly and the grant is paid to the parent on...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 235 and 254 together. I regret that the economic circumstances of the country are such that I am not in a position to reverse or vary any of the changes to the student grant scheme announced in Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil - Green Party Government. These changes include the removal of the automatic entitlement of mature students to the non-adjacent...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Public works contracts are awarded under standard national or EU public procurement procedures. Under these procedures the criteria for the evaluation and award of contracts specifically prohibits taking account of the domicile of parties bidding for works. To do so could potentially lead to claims of discrimination. In the circumstances, data concerning the domicile of parties involved in...

Written Answers — Public Procurement: Public Procurement (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: For school building projects, procedures are in place to mitigate against the possibility of appointing a main contractor who is not tax compliant . Following the tender process and before a contract is put in place, the recommended bidder must satisfy the standard requirements which are taken from the Department of Finance Capital Management Works Framework. These requirements include...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Board: Residential Institutions Redress Board (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Residential Institutions Redress Board is an independent statutory body established pursuant to the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002. The processing of applications is a matter for the Board which, in accordance with the provisions of the Act, has regard to the age and health of an applicant when considering applications. In this regard, the Board gives priority to those...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Oct 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 Placement: School Placement (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy, that the Department has no legal powers to challenge a determination from a section 29 committee unless the school in question is not acting in accordance with the determination of the appeals committee. The Deputy will be aware that I have recently launched a discussion paper on school enrolment. The document, "Discussion Paper on a Regulatory Framework for...

Written Answers — Third Level Charges: Third Level Charges (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 245 and 246 together. A new student contribution of €2,000 was introduced in higher education institutions with effect from the 2011/12 academic year. The student contribution replaces the Student Services Charge and applies to all students who benefit under the free fees scheme. In recognition of the financial pressures that the student contribution may...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the school to which he refers has advised my Department that it wishes to relocate from its existing premises to alternative accommodation. As the school has provisional recognition, the sourcing of such accommodation remains the responsibility of the Patron. My Department's role extends to providing grant assistance for accommodation rental and the school has...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware that the timing of processing and paying of grants varies between the 66 awarding authorities depending on a number of variables including the volume of applications received, staffing resources and whether or not properly completed application forms have been submitted. Work prioritisation across different functions, and how available staff are deployed to execute those functions...

Written Answers — Universities and Institutes of Technology: Universities and Institutes of Technology (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Universities and Institutes of Technology are autonomous academically independent institutions within the meaning of the Universities Act, 1997 and the Institutes of Technology Act, 2006 respectively. Neither I, nor my Department has any function in relation to the day to day management or academic affairs of any institute. The extension of opening hours in academic libraries is a matter for...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 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 45 kms. As the previous Government had factored in the savings...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I regret that the economic circumstances of the country are such that I am not in a position to reverse any of the changes to the student grant measures announced in Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil - Green Party Government. These changes included the removal of the automatic entitlement of mature students to the non-adjacent rate of grant and an increase in the qualifying distance...

Written Answers — Third Level Access: Third Level Access (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The management of the Third Level Access Measures Fund rests with the Higher Education Authority and the allocation of funding for the various access measures, one of which is the Student Assistance Fund, is a matter for that authority. Some €15.3m is available in the Fund overall to support individual students under these initiatives. Question No. 254 answered with Question No. 235.

Written Answers — Health and Safety Regulations: Health and Safety Regulations (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy is aware works carried out under my Department's Summer Work Schemes are devolved to individual Board of Management and the issues referred to by the Deputy should be raised with the school management authority concerned in the first instance. If there are individual cases where there is concern that Heath and Safety regulations has not been complied with, these cases should be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware of my Department's commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs in school settings. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate school curriculum with the option, in line with each...

Written Answers — Skills Development: Skills Development (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: To be eligible for a place on a Springboard course an applicant must have a previous history of employment, and at the time of starting a Springboard course must be unemployed and in receipt of Jobseeker's Allowance, Jobseeker's Benefit or One Parent Family Payment or be signing for contribution credits. All applicants must be available for and actively seeking employment. While this is the...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have been informed by the Teaching Council that the amount of time that it takes to process applications for registration is dependent on the type of application. The Council has stated that it makes every effort to expedite an application in urgent circumstances such as confirming registration for teachers taking up new appointments. However, it cannot register a teacher without...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Details of the specific case to which the Deputy refers are not readily available to my Department, as such transactions are a matter for Wexford Vocational Education Committee itself. Accordingly, my Department has requested the information from the VEC and this will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible. Expenditure on legal fees in Co Wexford VEC in 2008 and 2009, as recorded in...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (4 Oct 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department was informed by the Chairperson of Co. Wexford Vocational Education Committee that the Committee had accepted the findings and recommendations of an internal audit report signed on 19th December 2011 by the person to whom the Deputy refers.