Results 161-180 of 19,032 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Career Breaks (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is set out in the following table. Department of Education and Skills – Career Breaks Period Period Period Period Period Period 0-6 months 6 -12 months 1-2 years 2-3 years 4-5 years 5 years plus - 1 3 4 3 5

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The total photography costs for my Department since 9 March 2011 are set out in the attached document. The Department adheres to the National Procurement Service's photography framework in place for central government, local government and the health and education sectors. The Department endeavours to keep photography costs to a minimum. Cost Occasion €381.15 (€315 +...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Public Relations Contracts Data (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has not incurred any expenditure in respect of the provision of public relations services since the Government came into office. When engaging external support services, my Department does so in accordance with the provisions of the Department of Finance "Guidelines for the Engagement of Consultants and other External Support by the Civil Service".

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Amalgamation (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can advise the Deputy that the project he refers to is being delivered by the Office of Public Works (OPW) on a devolved basis. In August, 2012, a planning application for the delivery of the new amalgamated primary school was lodged by the OPW with Cork County Council. However in April 2013, Cork County Council notified the OPW that planning permission for the new school had been refused....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Students (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Government is strongly committed to promoting Ireland as a centre for international education through implementation of Investing in Global Relationships: Ireland's International Education Strategy and roll-out of the Education in Ireland brand internationally by Enterprise Ireland.Since the publication of the strategy, there has been 36% growth in full-time non-EEA students in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Consultancy Contracts Expenditure (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 238 and 239 together. In addition to the spend on IT consultancy services, the IT unit of my Department engages contract staff and external service providers to provide specialist technical support and deliver specific projects where needed. The total spend on external staff (consultancy, contractors and external service providers) was as follows:- 2010 -...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Appointments to State Boards (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested on the number of appointments made to State boards in the last three years is outlined in the attached table. The Deputy should note that Board appointments, while made by me as Minister, are not in all cases made at my sole discretion. Individuals may be nominated for appointment by various organisations as specified in the relevant statute of the body concerned....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department's policy in this regard has not changed. Home tuition is intended as an interim provision only for children with a special educational need for whom a school placement is not available and is not intended to be regarded as an optional alternative to school. Home tuition is provided to children with autism aged between 2 ½ and 3 years of age as they cannot enrol in a school...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Home Tuition Scheme Provision (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The purpose of the Home Tuition Scheme is to provide a compensatory educational service for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme also provides a compensatory educational service for children with special educational needs seeking an educational placement. Provision is also made for early educational intervention from children...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Legislative Process (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that since March 2011, my Department has published seven bills and has published four regulatory impact assessments.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In the context of the implementation of the new Framework for Junior Cycle the only subjects that will be "compulsory" are English, Mathematics and Irish. This decision has been taken to give schools the flexibility to develop their Junior Cycle programme mindful of the educational needs of their own students and mindful of the principles, statements of learning and key skills as set out in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) have allocated over 10,900 Special Needs Assistant (SNA) posts in schools to support students with special needs for the 2014/2015 school year. The exact numbers of SNAs will become clear when enrolments of students in mainstream schools are finalised in September. SNA posts are allocated to schools that have enrolled students with...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Debt Collection (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department does not utilise the services of debt collection agencies in pursuing monies owed to it. My Department is collating information from agencies under the Department's aegis. From the information available to date I understand that debt collection agencies are not used in recovering debt owed to those agencies. Should further information become available in this regard I will...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Private Schools (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: All Hallows College is a private college and is not an approved institution under the Higher Education Authority (HEA). It does not receive core funding, however, my Department provides grant in lieu of tuition fee funding to the College in respect of three approved undergraduate courses. This funding amounted to some €436,000 for the 2013/14 academic year. My Department does not...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: EU Funding (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: SOLAS is funded by the Exchequer under the Vote of the Department of Education and Skills as well as through the National Training Fund (NTF). SOLAS allocates funding for the delivery of training services through the network of training centres, which has now been transferred to the Education and Training Boards. European Social Fund (ESF) and European Globalisation Adjustment Fund (EGF)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: SOLAS Funding (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: While community and not-for-profit organisations such as Specialist Training Providers, Local Training Initiatives and Community Training Centres receive funding under a variety of programmes, there are two primary methods for funding of commercial training providers. Contract Training is a fee based payment awarded using a tendering process. The tendered cost of the course is paid and it...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Curriculum (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Education about active citizenship is an integral component of the new Framework for Junior Cycle. For example, one of the 24 'Statements of Learning', that encompass the key knowledge and skills that students will develop during their junior cycle, requires that all students will "value what it means to be an active citizen with rights and responsibilities in local and wider contexts". In...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Health Professions Admission Test (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The selection criteria and process for admission to medical schools is a matter for the Deans of medical schools in universities in line with their statutory autonomy in relation to academic affairs. The HPAT – Ireland test was chosen by the Deans through an international tender process which included criteria that there should be little evidence of benefit to candidates who (i)...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teachers' Panel Rights (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The core function of the redeployment arrangements is to facilitate the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools that have vacancies. Thereafter, schools are required under the panel arrangements to fill permanent vacancies from supplementary panels comprised of eligible fixed-term (temporary/substitute) and part-time teachers.The supplementary redeployment arrangements...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (8 Jul 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 253 and 256 together. We have a growing population of young people in this country and despite the difficult financial circumstances we face as a country, we prioritised education so that the number of teachers we have in the system has also grown in order to protect pupil teacher ratios. There are a thousand more teachers employed in schools around the...