Results 16,641-16,660 of 17,531 for speaker:Jan O'Sullivan

Teaching Council (Amendment) Bill 2006: Second and Subsequent Stages. (16 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: It appears to be gender balanced and I see some strong minded people from parents' organisations, schools bodies, teaching unions and so forth. I wish members of the teaching council well and hope they will be successful. Its membership suggests it has the potential to be a strong body. The teaching council has general responsibilities with regard to standards, procedures and criteria for...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Question 134: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if the physical education grant will be restored to schools in order that they do not have to depend on commercial companies to pay for sports materials; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5721/06]

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Question 71: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if home tuition grants will be restored to the 100 autistic children who have had this support cut due to a decision of her Department to no longer allow home tuition grants to children who attend school; if her attention has been drawn to the negative effect this decision is having on the children concerned; and if she will make a...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Does the Minister accept that it is very mean to cut this service for 100 autistic children who benefited from it until now? I accept there may be a need to examine how the money was being spent or to reform the system to ensure the money was being well spent but we are talking here about autistic children who are in mainstream schools and who have additional needs over and above those of...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: They had that already.

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: These people had full-time tuition in school as well as the home tuition grants, so it is a cut, in that sense, for the individual families. Many parents of autistic children are demanding an ABA system of education. If the Department had to pay for such a system, as opposed to the mainstream system, where in the case of one of these children, the class size is 29, it would be much more...

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Minister could be more flexible.

Special Educational Needs. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: The special needs organisers feel that the Minister has made a policy decision which they cannot change.

Music Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: I put down this question to raise a debate on the provision of music education. I welcome the fact that Deputy Keaveney is here because she also has an interest in this area. Unless one is in these pilot areas, having money is an important factor in getting a musical education in the sense of learning instruments because it is not provided for within the public education system and one must...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: I would like the Minister to commit to the proposal that all educational services should be excluded, which is what teachers seek because of the grey areas. I am aware of the decision to which the Minister referred. For example, the TUI is concerned that schools built under public private partnerships could be brought into the scope of the directive because of the private element. There are a...

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: The Minister can make recommendations.

EU Directives. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is why the teachers' unions want this to be absolutely clear and to have education excluded, just as health services are excluded.

School Transport. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Question 76: To ask the Minister for Education and Science the role of her Department in relation to the safety of buses hired privately by schools or parents' councils to bring children to and from school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [5722/06]

School Transport. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: I asked the question in the context of a fire on a privately hired bus in my constituency recently. I thank the Minister of State for clarifying the position. It is clear that the safety of such buses is the responsibility of another Department and perhaps I should direct my question to that Department as well. Does the Minister believe her Department should have a role even in advising...

Adult Education. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: What resources?

School Management. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Question 68: To ask the Minister for Education and Science her response to the proposal by the Irish Primary Principals Network that the management of national schools in the future might more appropriately be through a VEC-type model of joint control; her views on whether there is a need to consider changing the traditional model of patronage in view of changing demographics and religious...

School Management. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: I thank the Minister for her reply. I welcome the fact that she said the proposal will stay under review but does she agree that huge changes are taking place in our schools and communities? As Minister should she not manage that change, rather than just watch it happen? There is a growing demand for Educate Together schools, Gaelscoileanna and schools for various denominations. The...

School Management. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: History can be interpreted in different ways.

School Management. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: Does the Minister not think the second level model to which she referred, involving vocational and community schools, may be a more appropriate model for the times in which we live? Would she at least consider it as a model alongside the one we have at the moment? Given the huge demographic changes taking place are there not teachers in denominational schools who may not subscribe to that...

School Management. (15 Feb 2006)

Jan O'Sullivan: That is not what he suggested. We are trying to open a debate.