Parliamentary questions

School Textbooks

Jonathan O'Brien

1279. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected cost to the State for introducing a completely free book scheme for primary school students that would not require payment of a rental fee by parents; the projected cost to the State of introducing a completely free book scheme for secondary school students that would not require payment of a rental fee by parents; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33520/14]

School Funding

Jonathan O'Brien

1280. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will instruct her Department to collect and record information on the level of voluntary contributions collected by schools; the reason this information is not recorded; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33521/14]

School Funding

Jonathan O'Brien

1281. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department have conducted a feasibility study on preventing schools from charging voluntary contributions to schools. [33528/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1287. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the names of any legal counsel who provided services to Quality and Qualifications Ireland since its establishment; the services they provided; and the costs of these services. [33598/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1288. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the names of any consultants who have provided services to Quality and Qualifications Ireland since its establishment; the services they provided; and the costs of each of these services. [33599/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1289. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014 if she will provide a breakdown of how the €54,796 was spent by Quality and Qualifications Ireland on public relations and media management; the names of consultants contracted and what was provided in exchange for this payment. [33600/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1290. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014 if she will provide a breakdown of how the €54,769 was spent by Quality and Qualifications Ireland on policy development and implementation support; the names of consultants contracted; what was provided in exchange for this payment and the policies which were developed and implemented. [33601/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1291. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014, if she will provide a breakdown of how the €18,250 was spent by Quality and Qualifications Ireland on branding and design services; the names of consultants contracted and what was provided in exchange for this payment. [33602/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1292. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014 if she will provide a breakdown of how the €385,532 was spent by Quality and Qualifications Ireland on ICT services; the names of consultants contracted and what was provided in exchange for this payment. [33603/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1293. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014 if she will provide a breakdown of the €9,328 spent by Quality and Qualifications Ireland on hotels; the names of hotels and what training events they were used for. [33604/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1294. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 198 of 24 June 2014 if she will provide a breakdown of the €16,017 spent on educational assistance for staff in Quality and Qualifications Ireland; and what courses were funded or partially funded for these staff. [33605/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1295. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the names of any professional speakers who addressed Quality and Qualifications Ireland staff events. [33606/14]

Departmental Agencies Expenditure

Jonathan O'Brien

1296. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total cost to Quality and Qualifications Ireland for commissioning professional speakers to address staff, including the speaker’s fee and cost of travel and accommodation. [33607/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1298. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to improve literacy rates in the adult population; the funds allocated to same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33621/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1299. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will instruct her Department to establish and chair an adult literacy implementation group involving key stakeholders, to ensure national adult literacy policy priorities are implemented and targets monitored and achieved; and the timeframe in which she will do same. [33622/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1300. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if her Department has conducted any research on the costs involved to address the literacy problems held by one in four adults here. [33623/14]

Adult Education Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1301. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the budget allocated to the intensive tuition for adult basic education during each of the past five years; the number of participants during each of those years; the number of persons who were refused places on ITABE during each of those years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33624/14]

Back to Education Allowance Applications

Jonathan O'Brien

1302. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants on level 3 and level 4 courses through BTEI during each of the past five years. [33625/14]

Education Schemes

Jonathan O'Brien

1303. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of participants who availed of tuition through the workplace basic education fund during each of the past five years; the funding allocated to the WBEF during each of these years. [33626/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1304. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has set a target date for Ireland to reach 100% literacy for persons aged 15 and over; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33627/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1305. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the funding allocated to family literacy programmes; and the number of participants in them during each of the past five years. [33628/14]

Third Level Participation

Jonathan O'Brien

1306. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of access programmes to assist disadvantaged students enter third level during each of the past five years; the number of students who have entered third level using these programmes during each of these years; the funding allocated to the programmes during each of these years. [33629/14]

School Patronage

Jonathan O'Brien

1307. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to assist schools with divestment of patronage from religious orders. [33636/14]

Education Policy

Jonathan O'Brien

1308. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which her Department has drawn on top performing education models, such as Finland, as set out in the programme for Government. [33637/14]

Education Policy

Jonathan O'Brien

1309. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the position regarding the Programme for Government commitment to allow greater freedom and autonomy to school principals and boards to raise educational standards by devolving more responsibility locally, with greater freedom to allocate and manage staff with required flexibility and to delegate management responsibilities to teachers as school priorities require. [33638/14]

School Evaluations

Jonathan O'Brien

1310. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to require schools to draw five year development plans for their schools and individual teachers. [33639/14]

Teacher Training Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1311. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the changes in professional development for maths and science teachers that have taken place since 2012; and any future planned changes. [33640/14]

School Evaluations

Jonathan O'Brien

1312. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to change the system for evaluating schools; and the information she plans to make available to parents. [33641/14]

Literacy Levels

Jonathan O'Brien

1316. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the national literacy strategy for children and young people with school level targets. [33687/14]

Education Policy

Jonathan O'Brien

1317. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which every school will be required to have a literacy action plan with demonstrable outcomes. [33688/14]

Teacher Training Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1318. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the changes in pre-service and in-service training in teaching of literacy for all primary and secondary school teachers during the past three years. [33689/14]

School Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

1319. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of dedicated literacy mentors working with teachers in disadvantaged primary schools. [33690/14]

School Accommodation Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1320. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has a target date on which no school will be renting prefabs. [33691/14]

School Accommodation Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1321. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there has been an overhaul of her Department's central database of school accommodation to ensure a complete inventory of school buildings and associated structures is maintained. [33692/14]

Capital Expenditure Programme

Jonathan O'Brien

1322. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the use of shared educational campuses. [33693/14]

Property Transfers

Jonathan O'Brien

1323. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the negotiations for the transfer of school infrastructure currently owned by 18 religious orders cited in Ryan report. [33694/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1324. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which she will publish a plan for the implementation of the EPSEN Act 2004. [33695/14]

National Educational Psychological Service Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

1325. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of psychologists in the National Educational Psychological Service and when this number will be increased. [33696/14]

Special Educational Needs Service Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

1326. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the supports currently in place for gifted students. [33697/14]

School Patronage

Jonathan O'Brien

1327. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she has commissioned a white paper on divestment of patronage in schools; the persons tasked to draft this paper; the date on which it will be published; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33698/14]

Institutes of Technology

Jonathan O'Brien

1328. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the status of the Grangegorman DIT relocation project and the date on which this will be completed. [33699/14]

Educational Disadvantage

Jonathan O'Brien

1330. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the exact title of the review of the DEIS scheme that is referred to in the Programme for Government. [33702/14]

Higher Education Schemes

Jonathan O'Brien

1333. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an overview of any changes that have taken place to the PhD framework during this Government’s lifetime including any consolidation and collaboration among providers. [33708/14]

Higher Education Institutions

Jonathan O'Brien

1334. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will amend the criteria for assessing liability for fees at third level in order that they are based on residency rather than citizenship of a potential/current student in order to bring the State in to line with its European counterparts. [33710/14]

Jonathan O'Brien

1342. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide in tabular form the schools that have fewer than 100 pupils throughout the State; their patrons; their locations; and if they are gaelscoileanna. [33769/14]

Pupil-Teacher Ratio

Jonathan O'Brien

1343. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reducing the ratio for a fourth teacher in Gaeltacht schools from 86:4 to 76:4; the number of extra teachers that would need to be employed to do same; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33770/14]

School Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

1344. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the circular used to provide guidance on teacher ratios for schools, small schools, Gaeltacht schools and minority religious ethos schools. [33771/14]

School Curriculum

Jonathan O'Brien

1345. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the development of the digital schools strategy. [33785/14]

Early Years Strategy Implementation

Jonathan O'Brien

1350. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to improve early years education in order to improve the rates of disadvantaged students progressing to higher level education; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [33856/14]

Student Councils

Jonathan O'Brien

1351. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to get second level students more involved in policy changes; and the ways in which this will differ from the current set up. [33857/14]