860. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to include Mandarin Chinese as a leaving certificate subject; the reason this has not already happened; if discussions within her Department to do so have taken place; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20244/15]
859. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the date on which the draft framework for teachers' learning will be published. [20243/15]
858. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the Teaching Council proposal to introduce continuing professional development credits as a condition of registration for teachers. [20242/15]
857. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of re-instating the previous policy on allocation of guidance counsellors to schools on a basis of one per 500 students; the cost of introducing this policy for non fee-paying schools only; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [20241/15]
856. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of research conducted by a person (details supplied) that details the negative impact felt by students in schools where they do not have access to guidance counselling hours; and her plans to address this matter. [20240/15]
719. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health his plans to include the i-port Advance injection device on the long-term illness scheme for the treatment of persons with type 1 diabetes; and the reason this has not happened before now. [20582/15]
576. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs further to Parliamentary Question No. 321 of 28 April 2015, when a reply will be received stating the number of early years inspectors currently in place; the number of these on sick leave or maternity leave; and the number of early years facilities they are covering. [20675/15]
210. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the back-to-education allowance to €188 for persons under 26 years of age. [20299/15]
441. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if an assessment has been carried out as to whether the accreditation and co-ordination of English language services is fit for purpose, in view of the obvious regulatory failure that has resulted in the closure of 16 schools in the past 18 months, in many cases due to removal of accreditation. [19651/15]
440. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will be required to approve any regulations prepared by the accreditation and co-ordination of English language services; and if the accreditation will be required to publish explanations for rules introduced, including evidence of assessment of the economic impact of such regulations on the sector. [19650/15]
439. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to bring the accreditation and co-ordination of English language services under the auspices of the Ombudsman. [19649/15]
438. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if new regulations address the need for a form of learner protection or in any way assess the financial viability of a school receiving visas of one year's duration. [19648/15]
437. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a graduated system of removal of accreditation of English language schools will be introduced that may allow schools six weeks to get up to code and be subject to re-inspection before removal of accreditation. [19647/15]
436. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if regulation for English language schools will now be subject to primary legislation and stated objective standards with required wind-down procedures for schools that close. [19646/15]
435. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if protections for teachers in English language schools have been included in the proposed regulatory impact assessment to address their worsening working conditions, including being forced to work as contractors, the issue of zero-hour contracts, and the requirement for unsalaried teachers to work substantial extra hours unpaid. [19645/15]
434. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if a regulatory impact assessment for English language schools has been prepared for the new regulations due to be introduced in a few weeks; and the role the accreditation and co-ordination of English Language Services and Quality and Qualifications Ireland had in preparing them. [19644/15]
424. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware of the current difficulties being experienced by the board of management of a school (details supplied) in County Dublin in securing alternative accommodation for its school; that a representative from her Department told the school that it must submit a proposal in writing for an alternative site, despite the board of management having done so already; her plans to address this matter; if her Department will meet with representatives from the school; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19411/15]
414. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reversing cuts to the capitation grants for the vocational training opportunities scheme, the Youthreach scheme, the back to education initiative, post-leaving certificate courses and adult literacy centres. [19274/15]
413. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the cost of reversing cuts to the capitation grants for primary and post primary schools. [19273/15]
412. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the projected recruitment of additional teachers, additional resource teachers, and additional special needs assistants, over the next five years; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [19272/15]
409. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that SIPTU has advised its members on the National University of Ireland Galway campus not to co-operate with the university's gender task force, as it was not engaged in consultations regarding its establishment; that there are concerns that the task force lacks transparency, and was not independently constituted, and no assurances have been provided with regard to confidentiality; and her plans to urgently address these matters. [19250/15]
339. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Health the location of the medical records, including the birth registers and the maternity theatre registers, for each year from 1950 to 2007, relating to maternity and obstetric services formerly provided at the Erinville Hospital, County Cork, under arrangements pursuant to maternity services legislation. [19495/15]
234. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Justice and Equality if she is aware of complaints regarding infestations of vermin in Garda stations in Glanmire and Macroom, County Cork; her views on the health and safety risks to the public, as a result; and her plans to renovate these stations. [19311/15]
58. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the cost of increasing the back to school clothing and footwear allowance by €50 for each recipient of the allowance. [19278/15]
57. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Social Protection the funding allocated to the school meals programme and the school books grant. [19277/15]
187. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans to review her Department's approach to applied behaviour analysis schooling; her plans to remove the board certified behaviour analysts employed as directors of education from the former applied behaviour analysis pilot schools; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18915/15]
186. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will confirm that most of the best evidenced studies reviewed in a study (details supplied) were based on behavioural principles, as stated by Dr. Bond at the National Council for Special Education research conference. [18914/15]
185. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the reason the systematic literature review on educating persons with autistic spectrum disorders has not been published, in spite of the fact that, according to the tender document, it was due to be submitted by January 2014, and the findings were presented at the National Council for Special Education research conference six months ago. [18913/15]
177. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide, in tabular form, on a per education and training board basis, the number of second level education and training board school principals who do not have either a higher diploma in education, a master's degree or a doctoral degree. [18740/15]
548. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her Department's policy regarding schools sharing subjects in order to maximise the number of subject options available to students, particularly at leaving certificate level; the way in which schools can arrange this; the number of schools currently engaging in such arrangements; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [18600/15]
536. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the acquisition by a college of Tipperary Education and Training Board of a web-based student enrolment system, which does not work correctly in all web browsers, and which cannot order learners' names alphabetically, necessitating the reordering of subsequent internal procedures; her further views if such an acquisition represents good value for money, when an alternative system, developed in-house at no extra cost, was previously in use and was fully compatible and able to present lists in any required order, including normal alphabetical order; the costs associated with this acquisition; and the terms of the purchase and any associated service level agreement. [18271/15]
525. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the acquisition by a college of Tipperary Education and Training Board of a web-based student enrolment system, which does not work correctly in all web browsers, and which cannot order learners' names alphabetically, necessitating the reordering of subsequent internal procedures; her further views if such an acquisition represents good value for money, when an alternative system, developed in-house at no extra cost, was previously in use and was fully compatible and able to present lists in any required order, including normal alphabetical order; the costs associated with this acquisition; and the terms of the purchase and any associated service level agreement. [18419/15]
180. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills further to Parliamentary Question No. 219 of 24 June 2014, if she will provide in tabular form the number of derogations to the five-year secondment limit that have been decided by her Department; the posts in question; the reason for the derogation; the date the decision to derogate was made; and the details of any input that she or Oireachtas Members had in each case. [17912/15]
493. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on the issue of gender inequality in the National University of Ireland Galway; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17616/15]
492. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she is aware that the Irish Federation of University Teachers calls for the implementation of the European Commission recommendation on improving pay transparency, which would help close the gender pay gap. [17615/15]
489. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on primary teachers being restricted from gaining their professional probation in special schools, where the full curriculum is taught; if she is aware that at present teachers in special schools or classes may only receive probation on a restricted basis, and if they transfer to a mainstream school they must undergo the whole process again; and her plans to address this matter. [17579/15]
473. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the phasing out of the inefficient renting of prefabricated units for schools; if the negotiation of rental contracts will be part of a reformed public procurement policy to encourage greater value for money; the number of prefabricated units that were rented in each year since 2009; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17482/15]
472. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on her consultation with the publishing industry to develop more online learning resources and new mediums for their learning materials as set out in the programme for Government. [17481/15]
471. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if there is now greater use of online platforms in a wider range of subjects and lessons; the additional subjects and lessons available online since 2011; if teachers are now using live web casts; the status of the digital school resource; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17480/15]
470. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the way in which she has improved co-ordination and integration to delivery of services to the Traveller community across all Government Departments, particularly in the area of Traveller education through the Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools programme; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17479/15]
466. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total amount of savings in the education budget each year since 2010; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [17435/15]
465. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total allocations to the education budget each year since 2009. [17433/15]
459. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills if she will provide an update on the development of the new community school building in Clifden, County Galway; when it is envisaged that the re-tender process will be completed; the timeframe envisaged for completion of the project; and if the required funding is still in place to complete it by then. [17358/15]
455. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the status of applications for funding through public private partnerships in respect of schools (details supplied) in County Wicklow which are currently in a bundle of seven schools approved by her Department for funding through such partnerships; if she is aware that Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council refused planning permission for the access road, citing traffic concerns on foot of an objection by the National Roads Authority regarding the capacity of the N11 and other local road infrastructure; and if she will provide an assurance that these two schools will not be cut from the bundle. [17314/15]
451. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her views on a circumstance of on-going tuition allocation of approximately 500 hours to further education learners in a publicly funded college, given that the tuition allocation reported to her Department, and funded by the State and by the European Union, is 800 hours; if such reduction in allocation is permitted by circular letters and-or directives from her Department; if so, the details of what those circular letters and directives might be; and her views on any situation, where one cohort of learners is systematically treated less favourably than another, though all are enrolled in the one school, with the one roll-number. [17291/15]
442. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills her plans for easing the costs of school books on parents with secondary school pupils, by introducing a school book rental scheme fund for secondary schools, similar to the €15 million allocated for primary schools in Budget 2013. [17521/15]
441. Deputy Jonathan O'Brien asked the Minister for Education and Skills the total yearly cost of providing educational supports for children with additional needs, such as special needs assistants, language support teachers, resource teachers and the National Educational Psychological Service. [17520/15]