Results 301-320 of 14,576 for speaker:Ruairi Quinn in 'Written Answers'

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Education and Training Boards (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: In accordance with Section 30(1) of the Education and Training Boards Act 2013 (the Act), each education and training board will consist of 21 members as follows: 12 members elected by the relevant local authority; 2 members elected by ETB staff; 2 members appointed by the ETB from nominees of the National Parents Council; 5 members appointed by the ETB from bodies specified by the Minister...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Training Provision (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The 20 year Strategy for the Irish Language 2010 -2030 contains a number of actions relating to improving the quality of Irish Teaching which need further consideration including the introduction of a Gaeltacht scholarship scheme for primary school teachers to attend intensive Gaeilge courses in the Gaeltacht. This Government is committed to supporting the overall thrust of 20 Year Strategy...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teacher Redeployment (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy seems to be referring to the redeployment arrangements at primary level. These arrangements are set out in a detailed FAQ document that is published on my Department's website. The redeployment process at primary level is a huge logistical operation. Its focus is on facilitating the redeployment of all surplus permanent teachers to other schools in that area that have vacancies....

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support students with Special Educational Needs including autism. It is also the role of the NCSE to make appropriate arrangements to establish...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: School Closures (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm to the Deputy that a total of 18 primary schools closed between 2011 and 2013. Four primary schools closed in 2011, eight closed in 2012 and six closed in 2013. The initiative for closing a school may come from a variety of sources, such as parents, staff, Board of Management, Patron and my Department. Any proposal to close a school must involve consultation with all of the...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Staffing (24 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities, in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream national school to assist school authorities in making suitable provision for a pupil or pupils with special care needs arising from a disability. The first priority is that the care needs of the...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 52 and 53 together. 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...

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

Ruairi Quinn: The assessment of means under my Department's student grant scheme is based on gross income from all sources. The means test arrangements of the student grant scheme are applied nationally. In the case of both employed and self-employed applicants, gross income is assessed with certain specified social welfare and health service executive payments excluded. There are no particular supports...

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

Ruairi Quinn: A student may be assessed as an independent mature student if he or she has attained the age of 23 on the 1st of January of the year of first entry to an approved course or of re-entry following a break in studies of at least three years and is not ordinarily resident with his/her parents from the previous October. Otherwise he or she would continue to be assessed on the basis of parental...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Site Acquisitions (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: I propose to take Questions Nos. 56 to 60, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is progressing a site acquisition to provide permanent accommodation for the school referred to by the Deputy. My Department works closely with Galway County Council in relation to all site acquisitions and my officials are in regular contact with Galway County Council in that...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Special Educational Needs Service Provision (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The policy of my Department is to secure the maximum possible level of inclusion of students with special educational needs in mainstream primary and post-primary schools, in order to ensure that as many children as possible can be educated with their peers within their own community. Many pupils with special educational needs, including pupils with Moderate General Learning Disability in...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Teaching Qualifications (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The Teaching Council welcomes applications from teachers who qualified outside the EU and are deemed fully qualified and recognised in their home country. Each application is assessed individually to determine if the applicant meets the Council's registration requirements (as set out in the Teaching Council [Registration] Regulations 2009) and the evidence of character requirements which...

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

Ruairi Quinn: I can confirm that the school project for the school to which the Deputy has referred, is proceeding through Architectural Planning. As part of the planning preparation and application for planning permission my Departments design team will be liaising with the local authority and the school in relation to all traffic management and access issues.

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Schools Building Projects Status (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The major school building project referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The Stage 2(b) submission (Detailed Design) has been approved by the Department, however, as the project was not included in the Department's Five Year Building Programme, the project was not authorised to proceed to tender. Due to competing demands on my Department's capital...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: State Examinations (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: Following a conference in 2011 by the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) and the Higher Education Authority (HEA) to explore issues relating to the transition between second level and higher education, a Transitions Reform Steering Group was established to include representatives from the my Department, the Higher Education Authority (HEA), National Council for Curriculum...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: International Education Services (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: My Department has given responsibility to Enterprise Ireland to lead on development of trade and business for Education services internationally, promoting Ireland through the Education in Ireland brand. Enterprise Ireland has an office in New Delhi and a locally appointed Education Consultant/Pathfinder and delivers a series of initiatives for the Irish Education sector including trade...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Staff Remuneration (19 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: On foot of a request from the Committee of Public Accounts, employers in the Education Sector were asked by my Department to confirm that their organisations were in compliance with public pay policy as set down by the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform. In this context the Heads of Education Sector employers under the remit of the Department certified that no employees in their...

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

Ruairi Quinn: A building project to provide an extension at the school to which the Deputy refers, is currently under construction. Tests have shown that some of the blocks used in the construction of the extension are defective. The Department and its design team is currently considering proposals from the main contractor to carry out remedial works to address the defects in accordance with the terms of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Higher Education Institutions (18 Jun 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. Funding of some €436,000 for the 2013/14 academic year was allocated to the College in respect of...

Written Answers — Department of Education and Skills: Departmental Expenditure (18 Jun 2014)

Ruairi Quinn: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in a readily accessible format. It is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.