Results 12,921-12,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Library Projects: Library Projects (24 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Junior Certificate Schools Programme (JCSP) includes a Demonstration Library Project. This project establishes high quality, fully stocked and equipped modern school libraries and provides each with a professional librarian. There are 31 Librarians working with this project and I am pleased to say that all of these Librarians will be retained for a further year.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department in November 2010 seeking funding to provide one mainstream classroom, and was approved this additional accommodation in January 2011. My Department are not currently in receipt of any correspondence for additional funding.

Death of Former Member: Expressions of Sympathy (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: As the senior Deputy for Dublin South-East, I wish to extend first and foremost my sympathy to the family and the Fine Gael Party, and to tell the House that I first met Dr. Garret FitzGerald in the 1960s when he was a junior lecturer in the economic section and I was a probably fairly obnoxious architectural student in UCD. The first occupation of a university on this island took place in...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy applied for funding under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme. A list of 453 successful schools was announced on 30 March 2011. Applications from schools for gas, mechanical and electrical works were prioritised under the Summer Works Scheme funding this year and I regret that the application made by the school in question was not selected....

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998 the Board of Management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. It is important that the school management authority requests parents to ensure that the school is made aware of any medical condition suffered by any pupil attending. Where the school is aware of potential difficulties that may arise as a consequence of a...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 May 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 SNAs to schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. This now includes a requirement for...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations including organising the holding of examinations, determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations and making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination. In view of this I have forwarded...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The previous government decided to reduce the number of VECs from 33 to 16 and on the merger of particular counties. I am anxious to ensure that progress continues to be made in the work on bringing about a reduction in the number of VECs. The IVEA has recently responded to my invitation to them to submit alternative rationalisation proposals, following their expression of concerns regarding...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware of recent steps taken by the Governing Body of Waterford Institute of Technology to commission an external review of spending incurred by the Presidents office at the institute. I understand that this has been considered at a recent meeting of the institute's Governing Body. The Higher Education Authority has now sought a report from the institute on the issues that gave rise to...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The recent Jobs Initiative contains details of over 20,000 additional training, education and work experience places for the unemployed. The majority of the places (15,900) will be delivered through the Department of Education and Skills through the following programmes. 6,000 places on FÁS Specific Skills Training Courses (FÁS) 3,000 places on the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI)...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The two schools to which the Deputy refers have proposed to amalgamate. A site visit was carried out to determine if either school would be suitable to host the amalgamated school and one of the schools was deemed to be suitable. In 2010 the Department approved a devolved grant to provide an extension of four classrooms to facilitate the amalgamation. In March the school Patron advised the...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Prior to the announcement of the Jobs Initiative the Department of Education and Skills was funding in 2011 the provision of 108,500 Training places for the unemployed, 168,000 Further Education places and 156,000 Higher Education places. The recent Jobs Initiative contains details of over 20,000 additional training, education and work experience places for the unemployed. The majority of...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The recent Jobs Initiative contains details of over 20,000 additional training, education and work experience places for the unemployed. The majority of the places (15,900) will be delivered through the Department of Education and Skills through the following programmes. 6,000 places on FÁS Specific Skills Training Courses (FAS) 3,000 places on the Back to Education Initiative (BTEI)...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 45 and 46 together. Springboard is the new higher education Fund which is being rolled out for the first time in 2011. The intention to establish a new higher education labour market Fund was announced in December 2010, with proposed funding of €5m in 2011. On the basis of recommendations from an independent expert selection panel received in April 2011,...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The 'Redundant Apprentice Placement Scheme' was introduced by FÁS in 2010 to provide work placement opportunities for redundant apprentices to complete their on-the-job training at Phase 3, 5 and 7. The scheme has been broadened in 2011 to include placements with employers in both the private and the public sectors. The scheme, for which €7.3m in funding is being provided, aims to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The recent Jobs Initiative contains details of over 20,000 additional training, education and work experience places for the unemployed. The majority of the places (15,900) will be delivered through the Department of Education and Skills through the following programmes. 6,000 places on FÁS Specific Skills Training Courses 3,000 places on the Back to Education Initiative BTEI 1,000...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (19 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 49 and 50 together. The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. Under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to disclose its enrolment policy and to ensure that as regards that policy that principles of equality and the right of parents to send their...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (18 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The certification of completion of any specific apprenticeship is an operational matter for FÁS in consultation with FETAC. I have no function in this matter. However, I understand that FÁS has submitted a request to FETAC for certification in the case referred to by the Deputy and that FETAC is processing the request in its next certification period, which is in June.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The standardisation of the staffing schedule for Gaelscoileanna so that it is the same as that which applies to primary schools generally was one of a number of measures introduced in Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fáil /Green Party government to control and reduce teacher numbers. These changes are effective from September 2011.The school referred to by the Deputy will now have the same...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have arranged for my Department to contact the Deputy directly, in relation to this matter.