Results 41-60 of 4,073 for speaker:Mary Mitchell O'Connor

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: QQI will deal with these colleges and providers. It will be able to see into their accounts. They have to prove they are pro bono, they have to be able to show bank accounts, they have to be able to show they are able to pay their teachers and they have to be able to prove they have not had another school outside this jurisdiction where they have failed to meet their financial commitments....

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Not always.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: On the question of different providers paying into different insurance funds, that actually dilutes the fund. It gives fewer options then to place students in providers outside the scheme. If an event happens, QQI will do its level best to ensure that students affected get the programme they need from other providers within that insurance piece. While this is good legislation, we have...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: If it is being delivered through an ETB and the students are enrolled as ETB students, it will have to pay. If the students are paying to other providers which are not ETB and over the three months threshold, QQI will be engaging with them and will expect them to pay towards the PEL fund.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Yes. QQI will talk to the providers on the fee being in accordance with charges. One would not expect a college charging a €2,000 fee to be paying the same as one charging €300 and the provider collecting that money.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Yes, that is definite.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: We need a strong PEL fund. We have had numerous schools going out of business over recent years. We need to have that fund to ensure we can guarantee students will get the courses for which they paid.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I understand the points the Deputies have made. I have worked with Deputy Thomas Byrne, who has done a great deal of work here, and with Deputy Funchion, who has moved to another portfolio as spokesperson. I might be a bit long-winded in the following but I want to answer the Deputies' questions fully. On amendment No. 5, I acknowledge the valuable role the not-for-profit community...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: No, but I have the list here and can go through it in general terms for the House. QQI engages with 116 self-declared not-for-profit providers. Of this cohort, 85 have QQI validation for programmes which exceed three months' duration. However, this validation has been obtained in many cases via links with providers and their local education and training boards. Such programmes represent a...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I move amendment No. 1:In page 32, after line 39, to insert the following:“(10) Where—(a) a listed awarding body is a body established under the law of a state, other than the State, and (b) apart from the provision made by this Act for the Authority to exercise powers in relation to it, that awarding body is subject to regulation or quality assurance by an agency established...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I move amendment No. 2:In page 35, lines 20 and 21, to delete all words from and including “and” in line 20 down to and including line 21.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I move amendment No. 3:In page 35, line 40, to delete “Framework.” and substitute “Framework.”.”.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Committee and Remaining Stages (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I move amendment No. 4:In page 35, to delete lines 41 to 43, and in page 36, to delete lines 1 to 7.

Ceisteanna ó Cheannairí - Leaders' Questions (10 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: Stop sneering.

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Amalgamation (2 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank the Deputy. The ETB has advised the Department that the series of meetings which the Deputy talked about has taken place. The object of the consultation, according to the ETB, was to provide additional information on the proposed amalgamation of both schools and to ensure that any concerns raised are heard and taken into account. Of the meetings held with the stakeholders to date,...

Saincheisteanna Tráthúla - Topical Issue Debate: Schools Amalgamation (2 Jul 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I am aware this is a serious issue for Deputy Brendan Smith and for the school community. I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister, Deputy McHugh. In responding, I will comment on this matter because I know quite a bit about amalgamations of schools and was responsible for the amalgamation of two schools. I thank the Deputy for raising this matter as it provides me and the...

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Jun 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: My Department is happy to engage with the process and answer questions on the Bill. Someone asked who the stakeholders invited to the meeting would be. That will be up to the committee's Chair.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Jun 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: If the Deputies believe there is someone else who should attend the meeting, I would be glad to get their names. I have addressed most of the points raised. We will engage in the stakeholder consultation process next week and, the week after that, we will continue taking the Bill through the House. I thank Members.

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Referral to Select Committee (13 Jun 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I move:That the Bill be referred to the Select Committee on Education and Skills pursuant to Standing Orders 84A(3)(a) and 149(1).

Qualifications and Quality Assurance (Education and Training) (Amendment) Bill 2018 [Seanad]: Second Stage (Resumed) (13 Jun 2019)

Mary Mitchell O'Connor: I thank the Deputies for their interesting and in-depth contributions, and I welcome the support that has been expressed. Several different issues have been raised and I will try to deal with some of them. Deputies Thomas Byrne and Mattie McGrath raised a point last night about the protection of enrolled learners, PEL, fund and the resourcing of the learner protection fund, which was raised...