Results 13,341-13,360 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for funding under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme was received from the school to which the Deputy refers. Unfortunately, due to the scale of demand for funding under the scheme, it was not possible to grant aid all applications. As outlined in the Circular governing the operation of the scheme, applications for works in the higher categories of eligible works were prioritised...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for funding under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme was received from the schools referred to by the Deputy. Unfortunately, due to the scale of demand for funding under the scheme, it was not possible to grant aid all applications. As outlined in the Circular governing the operation of the scheme, applications for works in the higher categories of eligible works were prioritised...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for major capital funding. The application was assessed and assigned a band rating of 2. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the...

Written Answers — School Textbooks: School Textbooks (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The costs of school books are determined on a commercial basis by the educational publishers who commission them. Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on which textbooks to use in first and second-level schools are taken at school level. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over-frequent changes to...

Education and Training: Motion (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to share time with Minister of State, Deputy Fergus O'Dowd.

Education and Training: Motion (12 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I congratulate Deputy Smith on his appointment as Fianna Fáil spokesperson on education. I hope to have a constructive and positive relationship with him, as we have had in the past. On the comments made by Deputy Calleary, let me take this opportunity to clarify the record in regard to the value for money exercise in rural schools. There are 620 rural schools in the country with less...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: It is understood that the Deputy is referring to the North Wall Community Development Project and the setting up of a Local Training Initiative. FÁS is unable to provide an additional Local Training Initiative programme in the North Wall because of budgetary constraints. There is no agreement or contract between FÁS and the North Wall Community Development Project to either recruit a...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: An appeal has recently been received by my Department from the student to which the Deputy refers. The appeal is currently under consideration and a response will issue as soon as the review process is completed.

Written Answers — EU Globalisation Fund: EU Globalisation Fund (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The European Commission decision of 8 December 2010 awarding a financial contribution from the European Global Adjustment Fund (EGF) to finance active labour market measures following the redundancies in SR Technics states that Ireland shall use the EGF financial contribution by 9 October 2011. My Department as the national EGF Managing Authority has clearly stated from the outset to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Programme: Schools Building Programme (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: In the mid 1970s Squash Ireland, a commercial company, secured the use of a portion of the site to which the Deputy refers. This company subsequently went into liquidation. In an effort to maintain the facility, the Department, through the Board of Management, engaged the services of a temporary caretaker to run the facility. In 2010, on foot of communication from both the school...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Music is a core part of the arts curriculum in all classes in all primary schools and comprises listening, and responding, performing and composing activities. A revised primary curriculum in Music was introduced in 2005, supported by a national programme of professional development for teachers. I am very aware of the excellent work being done by schools using music as a key vehicle to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The main focus in the Teacher Allocation Section within my Department at present is the redeployment panels for permanent teachers. The Department will consider queries in relation to supplementary panel rights for fixed-term teachers, including the teacher referred to by the Deputy, when the initial work on panels for redeployment of surplus permanent teachers is completed. Such teachers...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: A decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter for a grant awarding authority in the first instance. My Department understands from the grant awarding authority involved in this particular case that it received a grant application from the student in question and that this application was unsuccessful. My Department also understands that the student appealed this decision to the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Apr 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. I have...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I have invited the Irish Vocational Education Association (IVEA), given their concerns about the current proposals for VEC aggregation, to submit alternative proposals for my consideration. The IVEA has indicated that it will respond later this month and I will be considering their proposals in the coming period. While I am open to proposals on alternative configurations, I am anxious to...

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (7 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Kilkenny Jobs Club has been run by Kilkenny Council Trade Unions on behalf of FÁS for over ten years. The directors of the company have informed FÁS that it is their intention to withdraw from this role. FÁS has assured me that it will seek an alternative sponsor and put in place suitable arrangements for a Jobs Club in County Kilkenny. FÁS provides a range of other services for...

Written Answers — Employment Support Services: Employment Support Services (6 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: On 8 December 2010, the European Commission approved the Irish application for European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF) co-financing assistance in support of 1,135 workers made redundant in 2009 at the S R Technics aircraft maintenance facility at Dublin Airport. The EGF application was for a total of €11.46m of which the EU contribution of €7.45m was received on 22 December 2010....

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (6 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: Unemployed persons from Dublin 5 & 9 areas are not limited to opportunities in the local area, and can avail of the full range of training and education courses available to the unemployed. It is expected that FÁS will deliver at least 90,000 training places for the unemployed in 2011. FÁS offers a wide range of training courses and delivery methods to suit individual client needs in the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school referred to by the Deputy submitted an application for the works as outlined under the 2011 Summer Works Scheme. Unfortunately, due to the scale of demand for funding under the scheme, it was not possible to grant aid all applications. As outlined in the Circular governing the operation of the scheme, applications for works in the higher categories of eligible...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Apr 2011)

Ruairi Quinn: The Department of Education and Skills (DES) is required to ensure that the overall allocation of teaching posts does not exceed the targets set out in the Governments Employment Control Framework. The DES had planned for a certain amount of increased growth in teacher numbers across the school sector in 2011, in line with increased demographic growth. In respect of resource teaching hours...