Results 1,561-1,580 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Amalgamation (1 Apr 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: I thank the Senator for raising the matter as it provides me with the opportunity to clarify the current position in relation to the proposed merger of St. Peter's boys' national school and St. Paul's girls junior and senior primary schools. I wish to advise the Senator that the initiative for any amalgamation may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, board of management and...

Seanad: Adjournment Matters: Schools Amalgamation (1 Apr 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Senator is well aware that each school is an independent autonomous entity, managed by a board of management, primarily appointed by the patron and representatives drawn from within the school community. The process of consultation must be initiated by the boards of management of each respective school. One would expect that when the consultation process begins there will be ample...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Certification (1 Apr 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: This is a day to day operational matter for SOLAS. I understand from SOLAS that exemption applicants are required to submit a portfolio of evidence outlining their work experience and relevant technical qualifications. The portfolio is reviewed by a Subject Matter Expert who compares the application with the learning outcomes from the apprenticeship curriculum. The purpose of this...

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

Ciarán Cannon: Farrell Grant Sparks looked at possible alternative methods for the calculation of the Bus Éireann transport management charge. The recommendations in the report were not implemented. The basis of this charge was not changed and remains as set out in the 1975 Summary of Accounting Arrangements. Each year since 2008 an element of the charge has been rebated by Bus Éireann to...

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

Ciarán Cannon: The maintenance charges for the Bus Eireann school bus fleet were included in the Farrell Grant Sparks report. These charges are direct costs which are included in the School Transport Scheme Statement of Account as 'Running Costs'. This item also includes plant maintenance, fuel costs, tyre costs and vehicle testing and maintenance. These charges have continued to be applied under the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Fees (25 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy will be aware that children who are eligible for school transport and who hold valid medical cards (GMS Scheme) are exempt from paying the annual charge. The scale of the School Transport Scheme, transporting some 114,000 children every school day on some 6,000 school transport routes utilising some 4,000 vehicles every school day makes it the largest public transport operation...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (25 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: Compliance by Bus Éireann with the European Communities (Financial Transparency) Regulations 2004 (S.I. No. 693 of 2004) and Directives is a matter for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport. Bus Éireann has confirmed to my Department that it is compliant with these Regulations and Directives. In essence the company is required to maintain separate accounts for its...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (25 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The information sought going back to 1989 would take some time to retrieve but the following amount shows the average credit passed to the School Account in respect of school vehicles utilised on non-schools work in the 2007-2013 period. Year -Amount 2007 - €220,000; 2008 - €204,000; 2009 - €263,000; 2010 - €105,000; 2011 - €227,000; 2012 - €351,000;...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youthreach Programme Staff (25 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: There have been no changes to the positions, job titles or terms and conditions of employment of Youthreach Co-Ordinators in recent years.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Administration (25 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The confidentiality agreement referred to was put in place prior to the commencement of the review. This agreement facilitated open and transparent co-operation with FGS by Bus Éireann including the provision of all financial data as required by FGS. This included aspects of the Company's cost base and this information was considered to be commercially sensitive.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Employment Support Services (13 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The amount of the training allowances paid by SOLAS to participants on training courses is aligned to the participant's social welfare entitlement. A person's social welfare entitlement is determined by the Department of Social Protection and is assessed on a person's needs. On commencement of a training course each participant provides evidence of the amount of their social welfare...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (13 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The purpose of my Department's School Transport Schemes is, having regard to available resources, to support the transport to and from school of children who reside remote from their nearest school. While it is the prerogative of parents to send their children to the school of their choice, eligibility for school transport is to the nearest school or education centre. Children who are not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (13 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 77 and 78 together. The change to the eligibility criteria was one of a number of changes derived from recommendations contained in the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme and introduced following a budgetary decision by the previous government. Details of the schools which lost a transport service in consequence of this measure will be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (12 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The report referred to by the Deputy reviewed the overhead costs and indirect costs associated with the administration of the school transport scheme. In completing its work on this report, FGS entered into a signed confidentiality agreement with Bus Éireann having regard to the fact that certain of the information made available to FGS by Bus Éireann was deemed to be commercially...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Certification (11 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: This is an operational matter for SOLAS, who are responsible for the management of the scheme in question. I have referred this query to SOLAS for direct reply to the Deputy.

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

Ciarán Cannon: Changes to the Post Primary School Transport Scheme mean that from the 2012-13 school year, eligibility for all children newly entering a post primary school is determined by reference to the distance they reside from their nearest Post-Primary Education Centre having regard, as heretofore, to ethos and language. In general, existing eligible and catchment boundary children including those...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Apprenticeship Programmes (11 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Annual Student Contribution is levied on apprentices and students attending Institutes of Technology. This contribution has been levied by Institutes of Technology in respect of apprentices since 2004, with FÁS/SOLAS paying 70% of the contribution and apprentices themselves paying the remainder. As part of Budget 2014, SOLAS will cease making this payment to the Institutes of...

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

Ciarán Cannon: Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme children are eligible for transport where they reside not less than 4.8 kms from and are attending their nearest education centre as determined by my Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport scheme on behalf of my Department, has advised that...

Seanad: Reform of Further Education and Training: Statements (Resumed) (5 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: Yes, that is a factor.

Seanad: Reform of Further Education and Training: Statements (Resumed) (5 Mar 2014)

Ciarán Cannon: The Senator said that there needs to be a county-by-county focus on delivery at local level. That is exactly what the legislation underpinning the education and training boards has set out to do. It gives them the autonomy to be that granular in their own county, to determine what the skills shortages are in the particular region and to respond to them in an effective manner. Senator...