Results 1,261-1,280 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Order of Business (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Regarding the Deputy's question on the terms of reference of the commission of investigation, that matter will be discussed at Cabinet next week. It is our intention to have it agreed as quickly as possible with the Supreme Court judge, Mr. Justice Fennelly. It will be then brought to the House as soon as possible. I am aware of the concern people have expressed about the protections they...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am trying to answer the question Deputy McGrath put to me and he is not accepting it. We have a not-for-profit model insurance company already. Fully 40% of people already have voluntary health insurance. It is not an option to eradicate an insurance model and go back to the British national health system as if we had a clear landscape. We are looking for a system whereby there will be...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I, personally, along with everyone in this House who has the benefit of living in a more enlightened time than that of our grandparents, automatically and instinctively empathise and sympathise with the people who had the experience of being abandoned, for whatever reason, and placed into child care homes, which were cold places for any child who could have expected to be brought up in a...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is a matter of dispute. The principal stands, that is, if sufficient and satisfactory evidence, that is conclusive and in form similar to that of other institutions where a response has been made, can be convincingly brought forward, then the Government is of course prepared to look at it, but so far we have not been convinced.

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for raising this matter. Along with most people in the House, if not everyone, we share many of the sentiments she has expressed. I am prepared to request that the Department Justice and Equality would look again at the information to see if something analogous or comparable to that of victims of institutional residential abuse or the Magdalen laundries can provide the...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Deputy for his questions, some of which I will be happy to try to answer. I will not be able to answer all of them because the overall position will not become clear until the consultation process has been completed. Labour was the first political party in Ireland to propose universal health insurance - based on multiple insurers - as long ago as 2001. At that stage, the...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Fianna Fáil was in government for a long period and it was vehemently opposed to the idea of universal health insurance.

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Which means Fianna Fáil supports the two-tier system.

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Yes, it does. The unfair two-tier system that has determined the course - and many of the problems - of our health service for many years is simply not working. It does not work for people who cannot afford private health insurance or who find themselves at the back of the queue for consultants' appointments. It does not even work for those hard-pressed families which struggle to pay for...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am glad to hear that.

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I think the Deputy will concede that the existing model is not working satisfactorily. While we may argue with regard to why this is the case and about the details involved, I do not believe anyone could say the current system, which is extremely expensive by international standards, is working properly. Whether it is because of his political ideology or his knowledge of the British...

Leaders' Questions (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: -----and made presumptions. The Deputy has not clarified the situation for himself or established in fact that there is an option for a not-for-profit health insurance model. It was established by the coalition Government in 1954 and called the Voluntary Health Insurance Board. It is a not-for-profit health insurance system. Many of the systems in continental Europe which have a-----

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Contracts Social Clause (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 72 and 73 together. The details of schools to which the Deputy refers are set out in the following table. The schools were bundled under 3 separate contracts. The contractor for bundle 1 commenced on site in February while the contracts for bundles 2 and 3 commenced in late March. To date the contractor on bundle 1 has employed 8 people who have been...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware, Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI) was established through the amalgamation of the National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), HETAC and FETAC in November 2012. QQI assumed responsibility for the functions undertaken by those bodies including those functions, such as ACELS, which are carried out on an administrative basis. Since its establishment,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the establishment of a network of autism-specific special classes in schools across the country to cater for children with autism has been a key educational priority in recent years. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Services (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department facilitates payments in a number of different ways, principally via banking on line through commercial bank accounts, and via paper instruments such as cheques. Additionally within the Government sector my Department also facilitates payments from other Government Departments via the Office of the Pay Master General's system of Internal Fund Transfers. My Department has not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Schemes (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030 emphasised the need for a coherent and streamlined funding framework to allocate resources into the higher education sector. For this reason, the Higher Education Authority has the remit to consider all requests for funding and assess them in terms of prioritisation of currently available resources for the system. I understand that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that, despite the assertion made by the organisation referred to by the Deputy to the effect that my Department had not responded to their letter of 30 August 2013, my Department in fact responded on a number of occasions both to that letter and to subsequent letters. The initial contact from the organisation was on 30th August by way of email. Officials from my Department met...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Council of Ireland (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Since March 2006, the Teaching Council is the body with statutory authority and responsibility for the recognition of teaching qualifications and the registration of teachers. Neither I, nor my Department, are involved in dealing with individual registration queries or applications. There are a number of avenues of appeal open to a person who is unhappy with a decision of the Council in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Schemes (3 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The national agencies for Erasmus+ in Ireland are Léargas for school, adult education and vocational education and training and the Higher Education Authority for higher education. The national agencies are responsible for promoting and implementing the programme at national level. The overall national authority for the education and training elements of the Erasmus+ programme in Ireland...