Results 12,981-13,000 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension and refurbishment project. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band rating of 1. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Education Centre network plays a key part in the overall provision of continuing professional development (CPD) for teachers, and in this context my Department provides funding in respect of core budget, local courses, and, where a centre is the host location for a national CPD support programme, for the administration and operation of the programme in question. The core budget and the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The assessment and payment of third level or further education grants is a matter for the relevant local authority or VEC. The timing of payment varies between the 66 awarding bodies depending on a number of variables including the volume of applications received, staffing resources and whether or not properly completed application forms have been received. In order to address the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Firstly, I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports. This includes the allocation of resource teaching hours to schools as well as the establishment of...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A moratorium exists in relation to the filling of posts in the public sector generally and accordingly, the Teaching Council cannot fill any post without the prior approval of my Department and the Department of Finance. Requests for the filling of posts are considered in the context of the Government's policy on public sector numbers and overall budgetary policy. Although the Teaching...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to withdraw Resource Teacher for Travellers was taken by the previous Government as part of the last Budget. The requirement to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision. Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/Teaching Hours...

Written Answers — Grant Applications: Grant Applications (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has recently applied to my Department seeking funding to provide additional accommodation. This application is currently being assessed. Officials in my Department will convey a decision on the application to the school authority when the assessment process has been completed.

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Two business credit cards are operated by staff in my Department. One card is operated by the Private Secretary in my own office and the second by the Private Secretary in the office of Minister of State Mr. Ciaran Cannon. The granting of credit cards in my Department is allowed in very limited circumstances. The provision of such cards will only be considered for officers or post-holders...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Details of primary and post-primary schools in County Meath who applied for and were approved funding under the Summer Works Scheme for the years 2009, 2010 and 2011 are included in the table for the Deputy's information. In addition, I am pleased to advise the Deputy that as part of the Government's Jobs Initiative, details of which were announced recently, €40m in funding has been made...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the student referred to by the Deputy was paid by Cork Institute of Technology on 15th April 2011 and a further installment issued on May 13th 2011.

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no plans to introduce a scheme that would involve giving added years for pension purposes to teachers to encourage their early retirement.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) which is administered and paid for by NEPS. In common with many other psychological services and best international...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Firstly, I wish to advise the Deputy that Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations are not permanent, as the level of SNA support allocated to a school may be increased or decreased as pupils who qualify for SNA support enrol or leave a school. They are also decreased where a child's care needs may have diminished over time. There are no plans to introduce a panel for SNA's. I wish to...

Written Answers — Schools Provision: Schools Provision (17 May 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 and at primary level enrolments are expected to increase from the current total enrolment of circa 505,600 pupils to an expected enrolment circa 567,300 pupils by the year 2017. It is within this context that...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the deputy is not available in the format requested. Teachers employed in primary schools are paid on payrolls operated by my Department. There were one hundred and eighty six retired primary teachers in receipt of a pension paid on the primary payroll of the 12th May 2011. This includes appointments to all permanent, temporary and substitute positions in...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the changes to the student grant schemes introduced under Budget 2011 by the previous Fianna Fail - Green Party government were designed to manage additional cost pressures arising from a significant increase in the number of students qualifying for grants, a proportionate increase in the number of students qualifying for higher rates of grants and payment of the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (17 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...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for funding towards roof replacement under the Emergency Works Scheme in January 2011. The school was subsequently advised by my Department that due to budgetary constraints, replacement of the roof could not be considered. However, the school was advised to secure costings for repair works to the roof and to revert to my...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The process of allocating teaching resources to schools for 2011/2012 and the arrangements for filling vacant or new teaching posts, including temporary posts, takes place in the context of the EU/IMF Programme of Support for Ireland and the Public Service Agreement 2010/2014. It is necessary for my Department to exercise additional control and reporting measures this year to ensure that...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 May 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the decision to withdraw Resource Teachers for Travellers was taken by the previous Government as part of the last Budget. The requirement to make expenditure savings and to ensure that staffing numbers remain within the Public Service Employment Control Framework prevent me from re-visiting this decision. Resource Teacher for Traveller posts/Teaching...