Results 1,361-1,380 of 3,895 for speaker:John Halligan

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (4 Jul 2017)

John Halligan: Parliamentary Question No. 559 was interpreted in my Department as referring to funding provided directly by my Department to VEC/ETBs.  Data on the funding provided by SOLAS to ETBs for the period 2014 to date in 2017 follows: Summary of Grants Paid to Education and Training Boards by SOLAS 2017 to June 2017 2016 2015 2014 Total Total Total Total...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport (4 Jul 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. Under the terms of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Data (4 Jul 2017)

John Halligan: I propose to take Questions Nos. 195 to 197, inclusive, together. The information sought by the Deputy in relation to the number of persons in apprenticeship programmes from 2011 to date is set out in the table. Since May 2016 there has been over 4,000 new apprentices registered on apprenticeship programmes. The latest available data for higher education enrolments is for the 2015/2016...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: I will make a number of brief points. It is important to note that, when required to do so, Professor Ferguson provides top level, independent and informed advice to the Government, either in response to direct requests or through his involvement in cross-departmental groups such as Horizon 2020. I took some advice and made some inquiries on the model in other countries. Interestingly,...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: I agree to a certain degree with what the Deputy is saying. When I was in opposition, I called specifically for a ministerial position to deal exclusively with innovation and research and development, which is why I specifically asked the Taoiseach, if I were to be reappointed in this position, that he would add research and development to the portfolio. Having regard to the advancement of...

Ceisteanna - Questions - Priority Questions: Science, Technology and Innovation Strategy (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: I thank Deputy Lawless for his important question and his attendance at the briefing with Professor Mark Ferguson of Science Foundation Ireland, which I hope he found informative. The office of chief scientific adviser to the Government was created in 2004 to provide expert advice on matters of science policy.  In November 2011, the public sector reform initiative called for a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: The Programme for Government commits to providing 31,000 apprenticeship places by 2020. Building on this commitment, the Action Plan for Education states that we will enrol 50,000 people on apprenticeship and traineeship programmes in the period to 2020. This represents a near doubling of current activity.  In January this year, I published the Action Plan to Expand...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Applications (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. Under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: Since 2004, FÁS/SOLAS paid a part of the Annual Student Contribution (ASC) due in respect of apprentices, with apprentices themselves paying the part of the contribution relating to examination fees. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS have ceased making payments to Institutes of Technology (IoTs) and apprentices pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution.  These arrangements mean...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (29 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: School transport is a significant operation managed by Bus Éireann on behalf of the Department. Currently almost 116,000 children, including some 12,000 children with special educational needs, are being transported in over 4,000 vehicles on a daily basis to primary and post-primary schools throughout the country covering over 100 million kilometres annually. The purpose...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes (28 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: The National Plan for Equity of Access to Higher Education 2015-19 contains more than 30 actions that are intended to make higher education more representative of wider society. One of five goals in the plan is to assess the impact of current initiatives to support equity of access in Higher Education Institutions. These include the Fund for Students with Disabilities (FSD) and the Student...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (28 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: Since 2004, FÁS/SOLAS paid a part of the Annual Student Contribution (ASC) due in respect of apprentices, with apprentices themselves paying the part of the contribution relating to examination fees. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS have ceased making payments to Institutes of Technology (IoTs) and apprentices pay the full pro rata Annual Student Contribution.  These arrangements mean...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (27 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: As the Deputy will be aware my Department established the Apprenticeship Council in early 2014 to oversee the expansion of the apprenticeship system into a range of new areas of the economy. The Council has been working with consortia to develop their proposals into sustainable apprenticeships that can be delivered on a nationwide basis.  Last year we saw the first of these new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Funding (27 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: This is an operational matter for Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB) who participate in the operation of the programme in question, which is funded by the Department of Justice and Equality.  I have arranged for LWETB to make contact with the Deputy directly in relation to this project.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Properties (27 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: I am aware of the issues here and of the efforts being taken to find an alternative location and have already arranged with officials from my Department and CDETB to convene a meeting with representatives from the group.

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: Members of the Independent Alliance and I had a meeting with the Minister today. Outside of the national review, there is a commitment to a review in the south east, which will cover all of the south east. The last review did not cover all of the south east. I take into consideration what Deputy Cullinane is saying but I ask Members from the south east to meet with the Minister and me as...

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: The presence of the mobile cath lab would not have saved the life of Tom Power. However, there will be more Tom Powers and more lives needlessly lost unless cardiac services in UHW are expanded. This will never happen while we, the elected-----

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: ----representatives of the region, are fighting against an invisible force within the health service.

Topical Issue Debate: Hospital Services (21 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: I too offer my condolences to the family of Tom Power. I believe that if he had taken ill on a Friday morning instead of a Sunday, he would have received cardiac intervention at University Hospital Waterford, which is about ten minutes from his home. The Minister of Health and I have differed on the Herity report on a number of occasions. I respect that. He knows my firmly-held views that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (21 Jun 2017)

John Halligan: As the Deputy is aware apprenticeship is a demand driven alternance educational and training programme and the allocation of provision is determined by the skill demands of employers. SOLAS, through its Skills and Labour Market and Research Unit (SLMRU) and its Apprenticeship Services Unit, regularly conducts forecasts of apprenticeship requirements.  The SLMRU has developed a...