Results 11,901-11,920 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that this project was not included in the school building works programme for 2011 published earlier this year by my predecessor. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will continue to be considered in the context of the Department's multi-annual School Building and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Sep 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 — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The project was included in the School Building Works Programme for 2011 which was announced on 24th January 2011. The stage 2b was submitted to my Department this month and is currently under review. When that review is complete officials from my Department will be in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The measurement of the distances in question is a matter for grant awarding bodies. I understand that a range of mechanisms can be used, for example, online mapping such as AA Route Planner and Google Maps. In all cases, the shortest most direct route to the institution attended is measured. If the distance is disputed, the matter should be taken up with the grant awarding authority...

Written Answers — Irish Language Exemption: Irish Language Exemption (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In recent years, my Department has given some consideration to consolidating and updating the departmental circulars which deal with exemptions from the study of Irish in recognised primary (12/96) and post-primary schools (M10/94). All aspects of the current arrangements are under consideration including issues in respect of students with special educational needs. The intention is to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for funding for the provision of a General Purpose Room (GP), or alternatively to convert two of the existing classrooms into a GP Room and then build two additional classrooms. The position is that given the current financial constraints within which the Department is operating, priority is being given to applications for...

Written Answers — Appointments to State Boards: Appointments to State Boards (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is set out below. Agency Name Total Board Members Board Details An Chomhairle um Oideachais Gaeltachta agus Gaelscolaíochta (COGG) 21 The board was appointed in September 2010 for a 4 year term. Commission to Inquire Into Child Abuse (CICA) 6 It is not envisaged that further appointments will be made prior to the Commission being dissolved by the...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Applications for the 5,900 Springboard places opened on 25 May 2011 through the online applications facility on the Bluebrick.ie web portal. It is open to applicants to submit multiple applications and to date 16,040 applications have been received from 6,736 people. 3,792 applicants have been accepted and are enrolled on courses and 2,378 applications are currently being processed. As...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Sep 2011)

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

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Senators for their contributions and for their consideration of the Bill. I have made notes of the points made and anything that has not been satisfactorily discussed can be on Committee Stage. I hope to be back in the House next month for Committee Stage and I will present a number of technical amendments. I thank Senator Power for the support of the Fianna Fáil Party and I...

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Has Senator D'Arcy retired from the teaching profession?

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill, 2011: Second Stage (Resumed) (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I was admiring the Senator's bravery.

Seanad: Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011: Second Stage (20 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am pleased to bring the Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) Bill 2011 before the House. The main purpose of the Bill is to amalgamate the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland, the Higher Education and Training Awards Council, known as HETAC, and the Further Education and Training Awards Council, known as FETAC. The new agency will also take on...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department provides funding (€1.28m in 2011) to the National Braille Production Centre (NBPC), a national service which provides blind/visually impaired pupils at first and second level with textbooks in alternative formats including braille and audio format. It is an essential service to children who are blind or visually impaired and without it many...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The substitution cover arrangements introduced in January 2009 have been allocated for the 2011/12 school year up until the end of December 2011. These arrangements provide for an allocation of hours to individual schools to enable substitution cover for uncertified sick leave for teachers in post-primary schools and for official school business in post-primary schools. Revised allocations...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: There is widespread agreement in business, political and education and training sectors that the key to Ireland's recovery rests heavily on the capacity of our education system and wider society to work effectively together to support creativity, innovation and enterprise. At a European Level, the EU Commission has identified enterprise as one of 8 key competences which all students should...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Class size data for all primary schools is compiled by my Department on an annual basis and is available on the Department's website. The most recently published data relates to the 2010/11 school year. The staffing schedule is the mechanism used for allocating mainstream teaching posts to all schools. It currently operates on the basis of a general average of 1 classroom teacher for every...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: To be eligible for a grant under the terms of the remote area grant scheme, an applicant must satisfy a number of criteria, one of which is that he or she should be resident more than 3.2 km from a pick up point on a transport service to a school where suitable free second level education is available. As the applicant to whom the Deputy refers does not satisfy this criterion, she is not...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 Sep 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 — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (15 Sep 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Project Maths is a major programme of reform in mathematics in second level schools, which is designed to encourage better understanding of mathematics, to reinforce its practical relevance to everyday life, and to ensure better continuity between primary and second level, and junior and senior cycle. It began in 24 project schools in September 2008 and was introduced in all schools in...