Results 1,921-1,940 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Patronage (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: No Catholic primary school has voted to change its patronage or divest control of its building from the Catholic Church. What has happened is that, following on from the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in the Primary School sector, 43 towns with stable populations were surveyed to determine if parents in those towns want a greater choice of primary school. In 28 of these areas, parental...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Eligibility (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Under my Department's student grant scheme, eligible candidates may receive funding provided they are attending an approved course at an approved institution. An approved course is defined as a full-time undergraduate course of at least two years duration, or a full-time postgraduate course of not less than one year duration pursued in an approved institution. I understand the course...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to inform the Deputy that all schools were advised to apply to the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/14 school year by 15th March, 2013. The NCSE published details of all of their allocations for resource teaching and SNA support for the 2013/2014 school year in June 2013. In order to meet any late demand for resource...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that officials from my Department have made initial enquiries with the OPW in relation to the feasibility of securing long term use of the site in question to meet future potential school needs in the catchment area.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Irish Language Issues (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: As you are aware I am committed to the implementation of the 20 Year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 - 2030, as its recommendations relate to the remit of my Department. This is being done on a phased basis over the twenty year time span. For example, there is a lot of activity underway in reforming the Irish language curricula at primary and post-primary. At primary there is the new...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Student Grant Scheme Appeals (13 Feb 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 21st January 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: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Caranua is the service name used by the Residential Institutions Statutory Fund, which is an independent statutory body under the aegis of my Department. From enquiries made by my officials to Caranua I understand that it has not provided any internships under the JobBridge initiative or any other labour activation scheme. I agree that care should be taken to ensure that Caranua employees...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act, 2002 included 123 specified institutions and section 4 of the Act enabled the Minister for Education and Science to provide for the insertion into the Schedule of "any industrial school, reformatory school, orphanage, children's home, special school which was established for the purpose of providing education services to children with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Administration (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: At present, there are five stages of architectural planning involved in the delivery of major school projects. The stages reflect the Capital Works Management Framework developed by the Department of Public Expenditure & Reform. The stages and indicative timelines are as follows: Stage 1 – Preliminary (2 to 5 months); Stage 2 - Design (which is divided into Stage 2a -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I have no intention of taking religion off the school curriculum. In fact, Religious Education is one of the seven curricular areas in the primary curriculum. Primary schools have been give suggested weekly times for the seven areas including 2.5 hours for religion. Individual schools and teachers use their discretion on the implementation of the suggested times, having regard to the needs...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 118 together. I wish to firstly explain to the Deputy that, regardless of the manner in which the resource hours are allocated to schools, resource teaching/learning support is available for all pupils with Down syndrome. I wish to explain also that pupils with Down syndrome attending mainstream schools may receive additional teaching support in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Services Provision (13 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that this Government is committed to the protection of frontline services for pupils with special educational needs and has maintained and increased provision for this area for this school year, despite requirement to make expenditure reductions elsewhere. There are now over 10,700 additional teachers in schools supporting children with special educational needs,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Weight of Schoolbags (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department issued circulars to all primary and post-primary schools in 2005 to highlight the potential health hazard of overweight schoolbags and to outline a range of local measures that could be put in place to help alleviate the problem. The circulars referred to the recommendations of the previously published report of the Working Group on the Weight of School Bags. This report...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Book Rental Scheme (12 Feb 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. Their efforts mean that the high costs of school books is being significantly reduced for...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Grants Eligibility Criteria (12 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 appreciate...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Staffing (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The criteria used for the allocation of teachers to schools is published annually on the Department's 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 previous 30 September. Staffing arrangements at primary level for the 2014/15 school year are set out...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Bodies (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 67 and 68 together. For the Deputy's information, the following table contains a list of the agencies under the aegis of my Department. I, as Minister, have the authority to appoint board members to these agencies. It should be noted that Board appointments, while made by me as Minister, are not in all cases made at my sole discretion. Individuals may be...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Local Authority Functions (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has enacted three pieces of legislation since June 2009 that provide for new powers or functions to be conferred on local authorities. They are: - The Education and Training Boards Act 2013, Section 30 of which confers on city and county councils the power to elect 12 members to each education and training board; - The Residential Institutions Statutory Fund Act 2012,...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I wish to advise the Deputy that the Board of Management of each school is responsible for the care and safety of all of the pupils in their school. Schools should supervise and support children who are distressed or out of control until they have recovered and are able to re-engage in the classroom. Schools may seek advice from their local National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Autism Support Services (12 Feb 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has produced technical guidance documentation, which provides information on space planning and design for school authorities and designers in the provision of permanent accommodation for pupils with special educational needs. Schools withdraw pupils occasionally from the main classroom for short periods of time in order to provide such support/ manage pupil behaviour if they...