Results 1,561-1,580 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that there is a mix of purchased temporary accommodation and permanent accommodation on the school site. While a major capital project for the school is not included on my Department's 5 year plan, my Department is currently considering, with the school, how best to address the replacement of temporary accommodation on the site, including phased delivery via...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department approved funding for the school in question in July 2013 for additional classroom and special needs accommodation. My Department has not received any request for additional funding from the school. Any request received will be considered and a response will be conveyed to the school authority.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (11 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 (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The school building project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning, Stage 2b - Detailed Design. Planning permission and a disability access certificate have been secured for this project. A decision by the local authority regarding the application for a fire certificate is awaited. Once all statutory approvals are secured the design team will prepare and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: For school building projects, procedures are in place to mitigate against the possibility of appointing a main contractor who is not tax compliant. Following the tender process and before a contract is put in place, the recommended bidder must satisfy the standard requirements which are taken from the Department of Finance Capital Management Works Framework. These requirements include...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Springboard Programme (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Springboard is a specific initiative that strategically targets funding of free part-time higher education courses to enable unemployed people who have lost jobs in sectors where employment levels will not return, to upskill or reskill in areas where there are identified labour market skills shortages or employment opportunities. Unfortunately due to the limited resources available under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations, including an appeals process. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (11 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with Government policy, expressions of interest are sought through the Public Appointments Service (PAS) from suitably qualified and experienced persons for consideration for appointment to boards of Bodies operating under the aegis of my Department. Since March 2011, 27 appointments have been made from members of the public who applied through the PAS process. It should be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Apprenticeship Review Group's comprehensive report was submitted to my Department in December 2013. The report and its recommendations, which include the establishment of an Apprenticeship Council, are being progressed through engagement between my Department with stakeholders, including relevant Government Departments, agencies and representative groups. The report suggested that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Administration (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the Education Act (1998) provides for a general statutory framework for the administration of the education system at first and second level. Individual institutions in the education sector have varying degrees of autonomy according to their status and statutory provisions. The Act also provides for the right of schools to manage their own affairs in accordance...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: 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 build up book rental schemes over the years and I am aware of the difficulties faced by schools in relation to these schemes. Their...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Commission (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations, including an appeals process. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (6 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 18th February 2014 and will be heard within the timeframe set out in the Student Support Act 2011. The student will be notified directly of the outcome of the appeal.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations. The State Examinations Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the Certificate examinations, including an appeals process. Applications for such accommodations are submitted by schools on behalf of their students. Full details of the scheme...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education Policy (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is strongly committed to promoting Ireland as a centre for international education. In order to achieve this my Department has been co-ordinating the implementation of Investing in Global Relationships: Ireland's International Education Strategy which involves a collaborative approach between Government departments and agencies and the education sector. My Department will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Early Start Programme (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's main intervention in early years education is the Early Start programme. This programme was established in the mid-1990s in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Waterford, Galway, Drogheda and Dundalk. It is a one year intervention scheme to meet the needs of children from disadvantaged backgrounds who are at risk of not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Evaluations (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Schools are required to engage in a process of school self-evaluation (SSE) since the launch of the SSE Guidelines. The requirements are outlined in circulars 0039/2012 (primary schools) and 0040/2012 (post-primary schools) which were published in November 2012. As part of the SSE process, schools are required to evaluate one aspect of teaching and learning and to complete their first SSE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The NCCA is currently evaluating the responses it has received on a background paper for Junior Cycle Science in the context of the development of a new specification for Science. The new specification is due for implementation in schools from September 2015. Overall, I am in favour of schools deciding what junior cycle programme they will offer, mindful of the need to reflect the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Evaluations (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: School self-evaluation (SSE) was introduced as a mandatory requirement for primary and post-primary schools in November 2012, when the SSE Guidelines were launched. Schools are required to engage in a process of internal evaluation of three aspects of teaching and learning, including literacy and numeracy in a four-year period from 2012/13 to 2015/16. They are required to produce a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy Levels (6 Mar 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Over the period since the launch of the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy in July 2011, there has been significant progress under many of the 41 actions and almost 180 sub-actions. Some of the major developments to date are set out as follows: - Major changes have been made to initial teacher training including expanding the primary Bachelor of Education from 3 to 4 years, and the...