Results 12,541-12,560 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In common with the ordinary rate of grant, the special rate of grant or "top up" is applied on an adjacent/non-adjacent rate basis. Therefore, in accordance with the change introduced by the previous Government to the qualifying distance criterion for the non-adjacent rate of grant, students qualifying for the special rate of grant living 24kms or less from their college will receive the...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 84 and 85 together. In the context of whole-school evaluations in primary and post-primary schools inspectors examine a range of policies including the school's anti-bullying policies and procedures. They review the extent to which measures are included to prevent and respond to various forms of bullying. These include racist and homophobic behaviour, within...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 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 Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools are encouraged to make their facilities available to their local communities outside of school time. Decisions on such issues are matters for school boards of management. However, in such cases there would be a general expectation that the user would cover any additional costs arising such as insurance, heating lighting, cleaning and care-taking. Organisations running free grinds for...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application under my Department's Emergency Works Scheme to upgrade the school's heating system 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...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy, has lodged an appeal to the Primary Staffing Appeals Board for a review of its allocation for language support for the 2011/12 school year (Circular 15/2009). The appeal will be considered by the Board at its next meeting which is scheduled for the end of June 2011. The school will be notified of the outcome within a few days thereafter. The Appeals...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for a student's grant awarding body. The Deputy will appreciate that, in the absence of the all of the relevant details contained in an application form, it is not possible for me to say if a candidate qualifies for a grant. In general, students who previously pursued a course of study are not eligible for grant assistance for a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The position is that under my Departments free fees and maintenance grants schemes students are eligible for free tuition fees and maintenance grant support respectively where they pursue an approved undergraduate course of study and do not already hold an undergraduate qualification. Therefore where a student already holds a level 8 qualification in physiotherapy such a student would not be...

Written Answers — School Patronage: School Patronage (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I announced my intention to establish a Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary Sector on 28th March, 2011. On 19th April, I officially launch the Forum and noted that the Advisory Group to oversee the work of the Forum would be chaired by Professor John Coolahan who would be assisted by Dr Caroline Hussey and Ms Fionnuala Kilfeather. At the launch, the Advisory Group sought written...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that there has been an increase in the number of Whole time Equivalent (WTE) posts that are being provided for mainstream educational resource teaching/learning support in 2011 over 2010. The total number of WTE posts being provided for mainstream educational resource teaching/learning support (including under the General Allocation Model) for 2011 is...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The assessment of means under my Department's student grant schemes is based on gross income from all sources. Therefore, all income is assessed from the same starting point, eliminating any distortion which might arise from different spending decisions. The income thresholds are also stated on a gross income basis – the average industrial wage by reference to which the thresholds are...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has an Internal Audit Section with a staffing cohort of a Principal Officer, an Assistant Principal Officer, 2 Higher Executive Offices and three administrative staff to monitor the finance and accounting practices adopted by line sections involved in the allocation or expenditure of exchequer funds to ensure that they adhere to Department of Finance regulations and appropriate...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy is referring to a proposal for funding from my Department for an academy for children with autism. My officials have formally responded to the proposal in question earlier this week.

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible for the provision of a range of educational services at local and national level for students with special educational needs. In particular, its network of Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs) co-ordinates special needs education provision at local level and arranges for the delivery of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The currently used criteria for suitability assessment of contractors are taken from the Department of Finance Capital Management Works Framework. Under this framework,the suitability of service providers is determined on the basis of objective criteria, transparency, open competition, equal treatment, and proportionality, without discrimination and in the case of commissions governed by the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department are liaising with the school authorities and other stakeholders with a view to getting the project back on site as soon as possible. It is not possible at this stage to give an indicative timeline for the progression of the project.

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Section 1(3) of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that an applicant who was resident in a scheduled institution and who was transferred to a laundry where they suffered abuse while so resident, will be deemed, at the time of the abuse, to have been resident in the scheduled institution. This provision was included on the basis that the State was still responsible for the...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (15 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 — School Fees: School Fees (15 Jun 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The charging of fees by a school is permissible only in the case of recognised fee-charging second level schools. All other recognised schools are precluded from charging school fees. Voluntary contributions by parents of pupils in such recognised schools are permissible provided it is made absolutely clear to parents that there is no question of compulsion to pay and that, in making a...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The gross expenditure provision for 2011 for my Department of €8.91 billion contained in the 2011 Revised Estimates Volume does not readily compare with recorded expenditure of €8.705 billion in 2007. This is mainly due to: (a) the transfer in 2010 of certain functions in relation to Skills Development from the former Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment to my Department...