Parliamentary questions

Student Grant Scheme Eligibility

Jonathan O'Brien

48. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to implement proposals to assess capital assets and income when means testing student grants in the 2013-2014 academic year; if he will confirm the publication date of the findings of the Higher Educational Authority National Strategy for Higher Education to 2030. [43233/12]

Residential Institutions Redress Scheme

Jonathan O'Brien

74. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the measures he is taking to address the continuing refusal of the religious congregations to meet their share of the costs of the compensation bill for victims of institutional residential abuse; and if he will provide an update on the establishment of the fund. [43090/12]

Third Level Fees

Jonathan O'Brien

104. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his views on the impact of increases in the student contribution fee to be implemented from 2013-2015; and if they are sustainable for low income families who are marginally above the grant threshold. [43091/12]

Tax Code

Jonathan O'Brien

138. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance if schools have experienced difficulties resulting from the directive of the Revenue Commissioners to regard school boards of management as principal contractors in respect of Relevant Contracts Tax and VAT, with effect from 1 January 2012; his views on the challenges that school boards are experiencing in complying with the very significant administrative burden arising from operating Relevant Contracts Tax. [43105/12]

Teaching Council of Ireland

Jonathan O'Brien

194. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the Teaching Council, a self-funded agency responsible for the professional development of teachers, is being prevented from hiring an additional 16 staff out of its own funds because it is subject to the public sector recruitment embargo; and his views on whether employing these additional staff would help reduce the backlog in Garda vetting procedures and assessing foreign qualifications. [43234/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Jonathan O'Brien

237. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the current staffing details of the Inspectorate including the numbers of inspectors at each grade in each business area. [43289/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Jonathan O'Brien

238. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools inspectors who retired in each of the past five years. [43290/12]

Departmental Staff Data

Jonathan O'Brien

239. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools inspectors recruited in each of the past five years. [43291/12]

Psychological Services

Jonathan O'Brien

240. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the current staffing details of the National Educational Psychological Service including the numbers of psychologists at each grade in each business area of the country. [43292/12]

Psychological Services

Jonathan O'Brien

241. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools psychologists in the National Educational Psychological Service who retired in each of the past five years. [43293/12]

Psychological Services

Jonathan O'Brien

242. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of schools psychologists in the National Educational Psychological Service recruited in each of the past five years. [43294/12]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

243. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the numbers of special education needs organisers in each county. [43295/12]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

244. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special education needs organisers who retired in each of the past five years. [43296/12]

Special Educational Needs Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

245. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of special education needs organisers recruited in each of the past five years. [43297/12]

Teacher Statistics

Jonathan O'Brien

246. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who began probation during the last academic year. [43301/12]

Teacher Statistics

Jonathan O'Brien

247. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who successfully completed the probationary process during the past academic year. [43302/12]

Teacher Statistics

Jonathan O'Brien

248. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who have thus far applied to undertake the probationary process in this academic year. [43303/12]

Pupil Data Collection

Jonathan O'Brien

249. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to introduce a database of primary school pupils. [43304/12]

School Accommodation

Jonathan O'Brien

250. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details on a county basis of rented school accommodation at primary level including the date of installation and annual rent for each school in the country. [43305/12]

School Accommodation

Jonathan O'Brien

251. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details on a county basis of rented school accommodation at post primary level including the date of installation and annual rent for each school in the country. [43306/12]

Schools Administration

Jonathan O'Brien

252. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of any work being progressed by his Department to improve its systems in order to facilitate access to accurate and up-to-date information on individual schools, both to ensure more efficient use of official time and to reduce the administrative burden on schools. [43307/12]

Schools Building Projects Applications

Jonathan O'Brien

253. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he has taken any decisions on project progression in the school building programme that did not accord with recommendations made to him by his Department; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [43308/12]

School Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

254. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers who qualified as primary teachers in the Six Counties who were appointed to temporary positions in primary schools in each of the past ten years. [43309/12]

School Staffing

Jonathan O'Brien

255. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of teachers who qualified as primary teachers in the Six Counties who were appointed to permanent positions in primary schools in each of the past ten years. [43310/12]

Teacher Training Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

256. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who trained in another jurisdiction that undertook the SCG/OCG during the last academic year. [43311/12]

Teacher Training Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

257. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of primary teachers who trained in another jurisdiction who passed the SCG/OCG during the last academic year. [43312/12]

School Textbooks

Jonathan O'Brien

258. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills his plans to examine the free books scheme for necessitous pupils in primary schools scheme in view of the fact that funding to schools did not increase this year. [43313/12]

School Enrolments

Jonathan O'Brien

259. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of Section 29 Appeals undertaken in each of the past five years including the outcomes of those appeals. [43314/12]

School Funding

Jonathan O'Brien

260. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total amount of funding from the capital budget expended on the provision of emergency funding to primary schools in each of the past five years; and the number of schools that received this funding. [43315/12]

Legislative Programme

Jonathan O'Brien

462. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality his plans to review the Enduring Powers of Attorney Act 1996; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42923/12]

Education Welfare Service Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

544. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers who retired in each of the past five years. [43298/12]

Education Welfare Service Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

545. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers recruited in each of the past five years. [43299/12]

Education Welfare Service Staff

Jonathan O'Brien

546. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs the number of education welfare officers in each county. [43300/12]

Mortgage Arrears Report Implementation

Jonathan O'Brien

26. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the recommendations contained in the Keane Report that have been implemented by his Department and the actions taken on each of these recommendations. [42271/12]

Budget 2013

Jonathan O'Brien

59. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Finance the plans, if any, he has to equality proof each of the various options being considered for Budget 2013; the plans the Government has to prepare and publish a distributional analysis of each of the various options being considered; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42272/12]

Heritage Council Funding

Jonathan O'Brien

9. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Arts; Heritage and the Gaeltacht his plans to extend the school heritage scheme; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [42024/12]

Caiteachas Ranna

Jonathan O'Brien

40. D'fhiafraigh Deputy Jonathan O'Brien den Aire Ealaíon; Oidhreachta agus Gaeltachta na ciorruithe atá déanta ag a Roinn ó thús na bliana. [41979/12]

Exports Data

Jonathan O'Brien

72. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation if he will provide the increase in the number of people employed in exporting companies; and his plans to increase the number of existing business that have an export potential. [41620/12]

Trade Missions Numbers

Jonathan O'Brien

80. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation the number of trade missions he plans to attend in 2013. [41619/12]

Higher Education Courses Applications

Jonathan O'Brien

151. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the number of foreign students that Educate Ireland has attracted to third level institutions here in the 2011/12 academic year. [41360/12]

Teaching Contracts

Jonathan O'Brien

152. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the percentage of contractual teaching hours fulfilled in third level institutions in the academic year 2011/12. [41361/12]

Consultancy Contracts Issues

Jonathan O'Brien

153. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if he will provide details of consultancy and technical services outsourced to universities here from Government Departments in 2011/12. [41362/12]

Medical Card Drugs

Jonathan O'Brien

17. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he will reverse the decision to cease the provision of gluten-free products on prescription for medical card patients with coeliac disease or if he will provide equivalent alternative supports or measures for coeliac patients, in view of the excessive cost of gluten-free products; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40989/12]

Primary Care Centres Provision

Jonathan O'Brien

23. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health if he will report the progress made, if any, on the proposed development of a primary care centre at Togher, Cork City; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40990/12]

Ombudsman for Children Remit

Jonathan O'Brien

13. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will outline her views on expanding the role of the Ombudsman for Children as per the recommendations of the Ombudsman contained in her report of March, 2012. [40714/12]

Child Protection Issues

Jonathan O'Brien

39. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs if she will publish the independent external assessment of the two out-of-hours pilot projects providing emergency social care services in counties Donegal and Cork; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [40715/12]

Drugs Crime

Jonathan O'Brien

208. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health his plans to reinstate the dial to stop drug dealing campaign; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [29753/12]

Redundancy Payments

Jonathan O'Brien

182. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation his plans to review company law in order to oblige insolvent companies which declare themselves unable to meet their financial obligations to their employees to enter liquidation before employees are forced to apply to the redundancy fund; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40400/12]

Redundancy Payments

Jonathan O'Brien

183. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Jobs; Enterprise and Innovation his plans to empower the Employment Appeals Tribunal and the Labour Relations Commission, in cases when companies declare themselves unable to pay wages and redundancy owed to employees, to compel the directors to attend hearings and the reason they have not met their employees terms and conditions; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [40401/12]

Defence Forces Medicinal Products

Jonathan O'Brien

26. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Defence the number of legal proceedings that have been initiated against his Department concerning the prescription of Lariam to members or former members of the Defence Forces. [39496/12]