Results 12,461-12,480 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Student Loans: Student Loans (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no immediate plans for the introduction of a student loan scheme. As the Deputy will be aware where full-time undergraduate students meet the eligibility criteria of my Department's free fees schemes, the exchequer meets their tuition fee costs. Financial support is also available to students at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels in the form of student grants. In addition,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. The stage 2A submission was recently received from the Design team and is currently being reviewed by my Department. When that review is complete and the submission has been approved my Department will revert to the Board of Management of the school regarding progression of...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Springboard is a specific initiative targeted at unemployed people who have lost jobs in sectors where employment levels will not return and who will need new qualifications and skills to re-enter employment as the economy recovers. To be eligible for a place on a Springboard course an applicant must have been unemployed for a minimum of 6 months when the course starts. At the time of...

Written Answers — School Accounts: School Accounts (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Programme for Government does not contain any commitment relating to the publication by schools of annual accounts. However, the Deputy may be aware that under section 18 of the Education Act, schools are required "to keep all proper and usual accounts and records of all monies received by it or expenditure of such monies incurred by it and shall ensure that in each year all such...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's most recent projections indicate that enrolments at post-primary level will rise from current levels of circa 312,200 pupils to about 336,600 pupils by the year 2017. It is within this context that my Department is finalising its analysis of all areas in the country in order to determine the level of additional school provision which will be required at post primary level up...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a technical assessment of this school building has been carried out by my Department's architectural staff. This school has certain constraints in terms of the fact that it has a protected structure and associated conservation issues. My Department will continue to liaise with the school authorities in the context of progressing this project to the next...

Written Answers — Education Centre Network: Education Centre Network (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: There are 12 outdoor education centres operated and managed by 11 Vocational Education Committees. The staff working in these centres are employees of the relevant VEC. Each VEC is responsible for the payment of the salaries of its staff, including the staff of the outdoor education centres, and any other payments associated with the operation of these centres. I have no plans at this time...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Actions to improve access to third level education are being progressed through the implementation of the six-year National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education (2008-2013). A mid-term review of this plan is being finalised for publication. This indicates that there is steady progress towards the objectives and targets in the national plan Key achievements include the development of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 196 and 197 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that all information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. Applications have been received from 46 primary schools and 17 post primary schools in County Mayo for new school...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy 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 to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy 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 — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 200, 201 and 202 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), which was established under the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act, 2004 (EPSEN Act) has responsibility for processing resource applications for children with disabilities who have special educational needs through its regional...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy 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 Curriculum: School Curriculum (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As part of both the primary and post-primary level school curriculum Irish is a compulsory subject. The programmes in Irish offered at both levels have the capacity to cater for a wide diversity of abilities. Departmental circular M10/94 applies to post primary schools funded by my Department and sets out the exceptional circumstances where an exemption from the study of Irish may be granted...

Written Answers — School Premises: School Premises (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the primary responsibility of my Department in this area is the provision of school facilities for the effective delivery of the curriculum. In addition, the Deputy might note that school authorities have a considerable degree of autonomy in relation to how their premises are managed and utilised at local level. However, I do recognise that there is a lack of...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Under Section 30 of the Education Act 1998, the curriculum in schools is subject to my approval, following any consultation considered appropriate with the partners in education and the advice of National Council for Curriculum and Assessment. The NCCA has been asked to review the junior certificate and advise on the scope for reform designed to strengthen literacy and numeracy, embed key...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to confirm that an application form has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy for a residual balance of resource teaching hours for 2011/12. The application form will be processed in due course and the school will be advised accordingly.

Written Answers — Public Service Contracts: Public Service Contracts (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The following table shows the amounts spent by my Department in 2010 and 2011 on contracts for outsourced IT Services. None of these contracts involve any subcontracting. The information for agencies under the aegis of the Department is not readily available and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However, if the Deputy has any particular agency in mind I...

Written Answers — Civil Service Staff: Civil Service Staff (28 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The majority of the information sought by the Deputy is publicly available on the internet. The grades and payscales as at 1 January 2010 for the following categories of staff in the education sector are available on the Circular list on the Department's website at http://www.education.ie/servlet/blobservlet/circular_listing .htm : Teacher Special Needs Assistant Clerical Officers employed...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The details supplied by the Deputy refer to two separate issues - the staffing of a school in the inner city of Dublin for the 2011/2012 school year and a decision taken by my Department on a proposal for funding from a centre on the north-side of Dublin. I understand that the National Council Special Education is presently engaging with the Board of Management of the school in question in...