Results 1,861-1,880 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Seanad: Teaching Council of Ireland: Statements (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I thank the Seanad for the opportunity to discuss the Teaching Council. I am aware that many Senators are teachers. We know from several international studies that teacher quality is the critical factor in improving educational outcomes. The role of a regulatory body in enhancing teacher quality is, therefore, a valuable area for public discussion. In light of the recent enactment of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Support Schemes Issues (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Student Support Act 2011 provides for the recovery of debt where a person has received monies from an awarding authority in respect of a grant that the person is not entitled to receive. Such a person is liable to repay to the awarding authority on demand a sum not exceeding the money improperly received.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am very pleased to give the Deputy an update on Politics and Society. I have decided to include Politics and Society within the suite of subjects available to schools in the Leaving Certificate. My Department recently wrote to the NCCA about this and has sought their advice on a number of issues which need to be addressed before the subject can be made available. The new CSPE...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under the residency requirement of the Student Grant Scheme, a student must have been resident in Ireland for at least 3 of the 5 years immediately prior to an approved course commencing in an approved institution in order to qualify for a grant. However, a student may qualify for a grant, having met the residency requirement during the course of their studies. The main criteria of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Emergency Planning (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The lead agencies in relation to determining the appropriate emergency response in any region where there is an extreme weather event or other critical incident are the Local Authorities and blue light services. In that context my Department has brought to the attention of all schools, via departmental circular PBU 04/04 – Contingency Planning in the context of a national emergency....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Refurbishment (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I refer the Deputy to my announcement on 7th November 2013 of an additional €68 million for school improvement works. This comprises a once-off payment of over €28 million to primary schools as part of the Minor Works Scheme and a further €40 million to facilitate the re-introduction of the Summer Works Scheme (SWS) for 2014. The Minor Works Grant has since issued to...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Accommodation (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The total expenditure on the provision of accommodation, both rental and permanent for the school referred to by the Deputy since 1999 is €830,000.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to primary schools is published annually on the website of the Department of Education and Skills. 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 previous 30 September. The staffing arrangements for the 2014/15...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Enrolments (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: It is the responsibility of the managerial authorities of all schools to implement an enrolment policy in accordance with the Education Act, 1998. In this regard a Board of Management may find it necessary to restrict enrolment to children from a particular area or a particular age group or on the basis of some other criterion. The criteria to be applied by schools in such circumstances are a...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (19 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the grant application of the student referred to by the Deputy was refused. The student appealed to the Appeals Officer in SUSI and a letter issued dated 17th February 2014, upholding the original decision. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal turned down, in writing, by SUSI, and remains...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under Budget 2012, there is a phased increase in the number of pupils required to gain and retain a classroom teaching post in primary schools that have 86 or less pupils. The last phase of the Budget 2012 measure takes effect from September 2014. This will bring the pupil threshold for a 2-teacher school to 20 pupils (up from 12 pupils). While I acknowledge the concerns raised about this...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Training and Education Programmes Data (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As the Deputy will be aware the Further Education and Training Sector is undergoing major structural reform with the establishment of SOLAS and the Education and Training Boards. SOLAS is currently in the process of developing an integrated Further Education & Training Services Plan for 2014 with the full co-operation and participation of the Education & Training Boards....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pension Provisions (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The pension entitlements of Primary Teachers are determined by the provisions of the Primary School Teachers Pension Scheme 2009. Article 6 (1) of the Scheme outlines details of pensionable service. Pensionability in respect of primary teachers is not determined by permanency, however, there are specific formulae for the calculation of service attaching to temporary service and these are...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special educational needs supports, including the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools. The NCSE operates within my Department's established criteria for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has received and processed an application for Home Tuition in respect of the child to whom the Deputy is referring. In accordance with the terms of the scheme, my Department has sanctioned 10 hours tuition up to the 30th March 2014, increasing to 20 hours on 31st March 2014, the date on which the child reaches her 3rd Birthday. The tuition...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Expenditure (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that a total of 44 large-scale projects were completed in 2013. My Department's 2013 net capital expenditure of over €436m was almost €5m ahead of the original allocation for 2013. The Major Building Project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning - Stage 2b Detailed Design, which includes planning and other...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The decision on eligibility for a student grant is a matter in the first instance for the awarding authority. Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the application of the student referred to by the Deputy was refused as the reckonable income exceeded the prescribed thresholds for the award of grant assistance. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Officials in my Department have confirmed with Student Universal Support Ireland (SUSI) that the student referred to by the Deputy has been awarded the full non adjacent maintenance grant. She is not eligible for a fee grant. The Student Support Act 2011 provides that the payment of tuition fees be limited to approved courses of higher education at an approved institution in the State,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Places (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I am aware that some qualified teachers may experience difficulty in accessing teaching hours to complete their probation for registration purposes because they do not yet hold a teaching position in a school. Measures have been taken by my Department and the Teaching Council to alleviate difficulties faced by teachers in this regard. One measure relates to the minimum service requirement...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Secondment (18 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 249, 250 and 253 together. My Department, through the teacher support services, engages teachers on a full time basis annually for the provision of continuing professional development (CPD) through secondment from their schools. These arrangements provide flexibility and ensure that the needs and priorities of the service are met. Given the importance of the...