Results 1,781-1,800 of 3,797 for speaker:Ciarán Cannon

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (22 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme for Children with Special Educational Needs a Special Transport Grant (STG) towards the cost of private transport arrangements may be provided at the discretion of the Department in situations where: - Bus Éireann is not in a position to provide a transport service; - a child's age, behavioural difficulties or medical needs are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Inspections (22 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take Questions Nos. 193 and 194 together. The inspections referred to in the questions are an operational matter for Bus Éireann. I have requested that Bus Éireann forward the information directly to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Bus Éireann, which operates school transport services on behalf of my Department, maintains a separate account for the School Transport Scheme. This account is audited each year by independent auditors and accounts in respect of the last number of years are available on my Department's website. Regular contact is maintained between Department and Bus Éireann school transport...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (22 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The Deputy's questions in their essence relate to the publication of a report entitled " Review of the overhead costs and indirect costs for the administration of the school transport scheme". In my reply I correctly pointed out that the report in question was compiled in the context of a confidentiality agreement between the authors and Bus Éireann. Given this fact, and the fact that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme Numbers (22 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: My Department allocates 80 places on the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) annually to Cavan and Monaghan Education and Training Board. A total of 80 learners participated on VTOS courses in those counties in the 2012/2013 academic year and there are 80 learners participating on VTOS courses in the current academic year, 2013/2014.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Procurement Regulations (17 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Bus Éireann has confirmed that the irregular cash transactions identified through its own internal checks at its office in Dundalk were confined to a small number of ticket payments and had no bearing on the separate process of awarding contracts. The award of contracts for school transport services administered by the Dundalk office was in accordance with procurement obligations and...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Appeals (17 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Bus Éireann which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department has advised that the child in question is availing of a morning service from her new address. My Department has offered the family a Special Transport Grant towards the cost of their own private transport arrangements in the afternoon.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (16 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The position in relation to the school transport scheme has been repeatedly set out. As I advised the Deputy yesterday, Bus Éireann, which operates school transport services on behalf of my Department, maintains a separate account for the School Transport Scheme. This account is audited each year by independent auditors and accounts in respect of the last number of years are available...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Literacy Levels (16 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: By way of clarification on average across the countries that participated in PIAAC 16.7% of adults score at or below Level 1 for literary proficiency. This is not a European average. While Ireland has 17.9% at this level, this proportion is not considered to be statistically different from the survey average and is in line with nine other countries including Germany, England and Poland. I am...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Bus Éireann Services (16 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Bus Éireann has advised that where required under their control procedures irregularities are formally notified to An Garda Síochána.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Provision (15 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I have set out below for the Deputy's attention a list of all the FAS/Skillnets/Further Education and Higher Education courses and where available the number of persons benefitting from these places to date in 2013. In relation to the Further Education and Higher Education provision the numbers requested by the Deputy for 2013 are not available. However, I have included in the following...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations Issues (15 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I am informed that the course tutor marking the assessments referred to by the Deputy deemed that the candidates had met the required standard. However, when the assessments were reviewed externally this was found not to be the case. This was further verified when all assessment materials were reviewed and re-marked by the training contractor's Subject Matter Experts. I understand that the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (15 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: I propose to take questions 69 and 70 together. The Farrell Grants Sparks (FGS) report entitled "Review of the overhead costs and indirect costs for the administration of the school transport scheme" was completed in October 2009. 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...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (15 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Bus Éireann, which operates school transport services on behalf of my Department, maintains a separate account for the School Transport Scheme. This account is audited each year by independent auditors and accounts in respect of the last number of years are available on my Department's website.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Provision (15 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: From the commencement of the 2012/13 school year, under the terms of the 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 the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Pupils who were eligible for school transport prior to the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Youthreach Programme (10 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: A travel allowance is payable to Youthreach learners to assist towards the cost of transport to centres. The person referred to by the Deputy is eligible to receive a weekly travel allowance of €17.60. The issue of the availability of public transport is a matter for the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Transport Eligibility (9 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Under the terms of the 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 the Department/Bus Éireann, having regard to ethos and language. Bus Éireann is responsible for the planning and timetabling of school transport routes. Bus Éireann...

Other Questions: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: Contract training has been an integral part of FÁS's service provision to clients for many years. The processes for managing and monitoring contracts are comprehensive and were substantially improved in a review of contracted training in 2010. FETAC, now Quality and Qualifications Ireland, QQI, prepared a comprehensive monitoring report of FÁS during 2011 and 2012. This report...

Other Questions: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: The director general and current board of FÁS have done extraordinary work in the past two to three years in greatly enhancing the quality assurance process for course provision within the courses provided by FÁS and those contracted out to the private sector. I can be reasonably assured that that process is working because I had a meeting about this time last year with some...

Other Questions: FÁS Training Programmes Provision (8 Oct 2013)

Ciarán Cannon: There is significant and ongoing communication between a section in my Department and senior management in FÁS who meet regularly. In recent years, they have particularly discussed quality assurance issues. Having looked at the structures that exist for reporting back from course participants, I am not so sure it is as robust as it should be. That is one of the improvements that will...