Results 1,341-1,360 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Placement (1 Apr 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Expenditure (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I understand that the individual in question is a part-time trainee on a SOLAS Local Training Initiative in Co. Kilkenny. SOLAS has confirmed that he is being paid the correct rate, as per the guidelines agreed with the Department of Social Protection.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Sector Allowances Review (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In 2012 a public service-wide review of allowances was carried out by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. As a result of the review, qualification allowances were abolished with effect from 1st February 2012. Department of Education and Skills Circular 0008/2013 outlines the effect of this decision on teachers. The Circular was agreed under the auspices of the Teachers'...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: To qualify for the special rate of grant an applicant must meet the following conditions: a. Reckonable income must not exceed €22,703. b. On the 31st December of the relevant period the reckonable income must include an eligible long-term social welfare payment prescribed under the scheme. In the case of a student whose parents are divorced, legally separated or it is established to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Textbooks Rental Scheme (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to confirm that I have received the petition which was submitted by the parents association of the school referred to by the Deputy. The Department will continue to provide a book grant as usual to all primary schools. This grant, can be utilised for the purposes of updating or expanding a school's existing book rental scheme. I want to commend all schools that have used it to help...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: A circular letter issued to post-primary schools earlier this month on the arrangements for the implementation of the Junior Cycle Student Award for the academic year 2014/ 2015. It clearly specifies what is required in relation to CSPE. If schools opt to offer their first year students entering post-primary school in September 2014 the existing syllabus in CSPE, then those CSPE students...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Funding (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: An application for funding under my Department's Emergency Scheme has been received from the School referred to by the Deputy and this application is currently being assessed. The School Authority will be notified of the outcome of this assessment as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 63 and 64 together. The school referred to by the Deputy was included on the list of projects, announced in March 2012, to commence construction in 2015/16. The Deputy may be aware that I signed a Memorandum of Understanding between my Department and the County and City Managers' Association (CCMA) in 2012. This Memorandum of Understanding fosters...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Technological Universities (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I published the General Scheme of a Technological Universities Bill in January this year. The Scheme is currently undergoing pre-legislative scrutiny by the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection. I expect to receive their report by the end of April, at which time the Scheme will go to the Office of the Attorney General for legal drafting. It is my intention that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Equality Issues (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Government did not oppose the Private Members Down Syndrome (Equality of Access) Bill 2013, at second stage. This Bill has been referred to the Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection, where it can be considered in the context of forthcoming proposals to establish a new model for the allocation of resource teaching supports in mainstream...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67, 68, 70 and 71 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department allocates significant resources to ensure that pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with Down syndrome, can participate fully in education. Pupils with Down syndrome may receive additional teaching support in schools, either from a school's general allocation of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Third Level Fees (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of my Department's Free Fee Schemes the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees in respect of eligible students who are pursuing their first undergraduate full-time course of study. The main conditions of the scheme are that students must hold inter alia EU/EEA/Swiss nationality in their own right, and have been ordinarily resident in an EU/EEA/Swiss state for at least three...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the terms of the student grant scheme, grant assistance is awarded to students who meet the prescribed conditions of funding including those relating to nationality, residency, previous academic attainment and means. The decision on eligibility for new student grant applications for the 2014/15 academic year is a matter for the centralised grant awarding authority, SUSI (Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teaching posts for the 2014/2015 school year is set out in the Staffing Schedule (Circular 0007/2014) which is available on the Department website. The key factor for determining the level of staffing resources provided at individual school level is the staffing schedule for the relevant school year and pupil enrolments on the 30 September 2013. The...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school to which the Deputy refers has been authorised to commence the award process with the recommended bidder. Following completion of this process, and provided there are no issues arising, the start on site date will then be agreed with the successful contractor.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed that the student referred to by the Deputy has appealed the decision of the awarding authority to the independent Student Grants Appeals Board. The appeal was received by the Board on 31st January 2014 and was heard by the Board on the 25th March 2014. The student will be notified directly of the outcome of the appeal in the coming days.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Equipment (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Since 1998, the national ICT in Schools programme has focused on building capacity across the schools system for integrating ICT into teaching and learning and developing pupils' digital literacy, The ICT in Schools programme must now address new policy challenges and opportunities arising from major developments in curricular reform, digital publishing, digital content dissemination tools...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grants Data (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The data requested by the Deputy in respect of the 2013/14 academic year on a county basis will be made available to the Department by SUSI after the end of the current academic year. The total number of students awaiting a decision on their application as of 23rd March was 89. There were a further 787 applications where documentation requested from the student was still outstanding.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (27 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection and enrolment of pupils in schools is the responsibility of the authorities of the individual school. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking school places in an area. However, this may result in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. As schools may not have a place...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Summer Works Scheme Applications (26 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that, on 20th March last, I announced that 386 schools have been approved funding under the Summer Works scheme to undertake school improvements. This first round of funding will allow schools to carry out small and medium scale building works across three categories of projects - Gas, Electrical & Mechanical. A total of 52 primary and 23 post primary...