Results 1,281-1,300 of 16,057 for speaker:Mary Coughlan

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: A review of the procedures for the establishment of new primary schools is currently being carried out under the Commission on School Accommodation. In the interim it is not proposed to recognise any new primary schools, except in areas where the increases in pupil numbers cannot be catered for in existing schools and which require the provision of new schools. The Commission is due to report...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (20 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: It is the policy of my Department that only qualified personnel should be employed by schools. Unqualified personnel should not be appointed except in exceptional circumstances and then only when all avenues for recruiting qualified personnel have been exhausted and only for quite limited time periods. This policy is reflected in Circular 40/2010 which my Department issued earlier this year....

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (20 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Deputy will appreciate that the preparation of the Estimates is carried out on a strictly confidential basis and it would not be appropriate for me to comment on specific issues or proposals including that from the Union of Students in Ireland at this stage. However, all proposals made in relation to education expenditure will be considered in the context of the Budget.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: There are currently 236 prefab units being rented in primary and post-primary schools in Cork City and County. It should be noted that a single prefab unit may consist of one or more classrooms and/or ancillary accommodation. The annual rental cost for these units is €3m. My Department approved the rental of seven prefab units in Cork City and County to date in 2010 while rental contracts...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Proposals submitted to my Department by Institutes of Technology during the period 1st January to 31st March 2009 initially involved a total of 31 proposed voluntary early retirements, with added years, for academic staff. However, my Department was subsequently informed in March, 2009 by an Institute that one of the applicants included in its submission had withdrawn. Furthermore, following...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: On foot of a technical inspection of the building referred to by the Deputy, which my officials deemed suitable, the OPW have agreed to transfer the building to my Department subject to a lease being finalised. The drafting of the lease is a matter for the OPW in the first instance.

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will be aware, my colleague Minister O'Keeffe distributed €22.3m in capital funding to primary schools last November, with a specific focus on equipping classrooms with digital projectors, teaching computers and wireless mice and keyboards. Schools are asked to prioritise the deployment of these items in each classroom, and have been given access to national purchasing...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 135 together. The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the holding of the examinations and ensuring the preparation of examination papers and other examination materials. I understand that the detailed specifications for assessment are currently being finalised by the Commission and will issue...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment has statutory responsibility for advising on curriculum and assessment issues in early childhood, primary and second level school settings. This advice is processed through the consultative structures of the NCCA, on which my Department, along with the State Examinations Commission and the partners in education are represented. The...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers recently wrote to my Department seeking capital funding to provide additional accommodation at the school. An appropriate application form was furnished to the school authority for completion. Any application received will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has facilitated the running of the course referred to by the Deputy in a PLC centre for the last number of years. It is accredited by Dundee University as the equivalent of a Level 8 award on the National Framework of Qualifications (Honours Bachelor Degree/Higher Diploma). The conditions of approval for the PLC programme state that the level of certification on completion must...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: My Department has regulatory responsibility for the Superannuation Schemes of VEC staff while administrative responsibility rests with each individual VEC. Officials in my Department have been in contact with the VEC referred to by the Deputy and the VEC is contacting the person referred to by the Deputy in order to address the matter.

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: I wish to advise the Deputy that a total of 14,295 applications to the Residential Institutions Redress Board have been processed up to the 18th October 2010. This has resulted in 13,400 awards being made to individual survivors with 895 being refused or resulting in no award. This figure can be broken down as follows to reflect the statistics on an annual basis as requested by the Deputy:...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The Government announced its intention to use €110m of the offers of contributions to be made by the religious Congregations over the next few years to establish a Statutory Fund to support the needs of survivors of residential institutional child abuse on 15th April last. As the Deputy will recall the Congregations offered additional contributions, which they valued at €348.51m, in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: As the Deputy will be aware, 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. I have...

Written Answers — Departmental Procurement: Departmental Procurement (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The following companies are contracted to provide telecommunication services to my Department: Eircom, Siemens Enterprise Communications, Vodafone, 02, Complete Telecom, Soft-Ex Ireland, AA Telecom, Advanced Telephone Systems Ltd, Martin Kelly Business Telephone Systems, Phone Plus Ltd, Telephone & Alarm Systems, Spectrum Communications Ltd. The financial agreements in place with the...

Written Answers — Departmental Procurement: Departmental Procurement (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The following companies are contracted to provide energy services to my Department: Bord Gáis Éireann, Chevron (Ireland) Limited, Energia, ESB, ESB Independent Energy Ltd, Flogas Ireland Ltd, Midland Oil and Geraghty Oil, Topaz Energy Ltd, Calor Teoranta and Kerry Petroleum Ltd. The financial agreements in place with the energy providers are that payments for services are made on receipt...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant grant awarding authority i.e. the applicant's local authority or VEC. Where a grant application is refused, the reason for the refusal is given by the grant awarding authority. An applicant may appeal the decision to the relevant local authority or VEC. Where the grant awarding authority...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter, in the first instance, for the relevant grant awarding authority i.e. the applicant's local authority or VEC. Where a grant application is refused, the reason for the refusal is given by the grant awarding authority. An applicant may appeal the decision to the relevant local authority or VEC. Where the grant awarding authority...

Written Answers — An Teanga Gaeilge: An Teanga Gaeilge (19 Oct 2010)

Mary Coughlan: Bunaíodh Acadamh na hOllscolaíochta Gaeilge faoi choimirce Ollscoil na hÉireann, Gaillimh i 2004, chun tacaíocht níos dírithe agus níos straitéisí a thabhairt d'fhorbairt inbhuanaithe na gcúrsaí trí Ghaeilge, do ghníomhaíocht taighde agus do sheirbhísí eile. Maraon le cláir tríú leibhéal a chur ar fáil, soláthraíonn an tAcadamh chomh maith, insna hIonaid Gaeltachta...