Blog Archive
Minister Quinn launches National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy
Posted on July 12, 2011
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn has launched the National Literacy and Numeracy Strategy. The strategy, Literacy and Numeracy for Learning and Life, aims to improve the literacy and numeracy skills among children and young people.
Some of the aims of the strategy are to;
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Education • ruairiquinn
Mayors in Chairs 2011 - 2012
Posted on July 11, 2011
This year we have an impressive list of Labour councillors as Mayors in local authorities around the country, we've detailed them all below, well done to everyone.
In Waterford City, Pat Hayes is now Mayor while in the Wexford Borough, Councillor Davy Hynes has been elected Mayor while Councillor Ted Howlin has been elected Deputy Mayor.
Councillor John Kennedy is outgoing Mayor of Tipperary County Council but incoming Mayor of Tipperary Town and in Tipperary North, Councillor Jonathan Meaney has been elected Deputy Mayor.
The Dublin City Council Mayor is Councillor Andrew Montague while Councillor Maria Parodi is the Deputy Mayor.
In Fingal County Council, Councillor Gerry McGuire is Cathaoirleach and Councillor Patrick Nulty the Leas Cathaoirleach. Cllr Harry Barrett is this year's Deputy Mayor of Castlebar Town Council
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Solutions Discussed at Labour's Tom Johnson Summer School
Posted on July 04, 2011
The sun shone upon Kilkenny this weekend as Labour Party members young and old joined together for Labour Youth's annual Tom Johnson Summer School named after the party's first leader. Speakers at the event which was attended by around 100 Labour activists included Michael D Higgins, Minister Brendan Howlin, Deaglán deBreadún (Political Correspondent, Irish Times) and Nat O'Connor (Director of TASC).
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: tomjohnson
Minister Joan Burton launches National Internship Scheme
Posted on June 29, 2011
The European Headquarters of Facebook in Dublin today was the location for the launch of JobBridge' - The National Internship Scheme which was launched by Minister Joan Burton. In attendance were business leaders and people from the community and voluntary sectors.
Find out more about the National Internship Scheme at JobBridge.ie
JobBridge is aiming to provide 5,000 internship places to the unemployed over the next two years.
It is part of the Governments 'Jobs Initiative' which will offer 20,900 education, training and work experience places for the unemployed as well as the 'Springboard' initiative which will provide 6,000 places on a range of 200 part-time courses.
The launch was a great success and a step in the right direction for getting Ireland working again.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Education • Enterprise Trade & Employment • Finance • joanburton
40 new schools to be established
Posted on June 28, 2011
The Minister for Education and Skills, Ruairí Quinn TD, got an A+ for delivering another Labour Party election promise, with the announcement that 40 new schools are to be built.
In the next six years, the Department will commission 20 new primary schools and 20 post-primary schools, as well as extend a number of existing schools. Of the 40 new schools, 17 will be in Dublin, 12 will be in the commuter belt of Wicklow, Kildare, Meath and Louth, six in Cork, three in Galway and one each in Wexford and Cavan. The project will cost in the region of €380m, and comes in addition to the seven new primary schools opened in autumn 2010.
Permanent link | Categories: Education
Dublin Pride
Posted on June 27, 2011
Over the weekend a number of our Labour representatives were on board the big red bus with Labour LGBT for Dublin Pride, here Deputy Kevin Humphreys posts about the day. (With thanks to Karen Mulhern for the use of her photograph.)
Anyone in Dublin on Saturday will have encountered the amazing atmosphere that was present on the streets of our capital city. One of the traditions of the Pride Parade is the annual Big Red Bus organised by Labour LGBT.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Equality
Call out for ideas - Minister Howlin asks public to engage on how Government can spend better
Posted on June 24, 2011
Just like many householders across the country, the Government has to continue to do more with less. Minister for Public Expenditure & Reform, Brendan Howlin TD, is calling on the public to engage with his department, and submit creative and constructive proposals on how the Government can best save money and make smarter spending choices.
As part of the ongoing Comprehensive Review of Expenditure, a review set up to identify savings in each government department, it is hoped that the people of Ireland can also come onboard and contribute their opinions on how efficiencies and savings can be obtained.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Finance • brendanhowlin
Deputy Ciara Conway on Minister Quinn's Forum on Patronage and Pluralism
Posted on June 23, 2011
In the last post we talked about Minister Ruairi Quinn's Forum on Patronage and Pluralism in primary schools at the start of a three-day public working session. If you've not been able to attend the forum and would like to see what is happening, you can watch a live stream of the events from this link.
In the accompanying video our new TD for Waterford Ciara Conway TD, herself the mother of a primary-school age child, speaks about the forum and what it means to her.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Education • ciaraconway
Forum on Patronage and Pluralism begins public session
Posted on June 22, 2011
This morning the Minister for Education Ruairi Quinn attended the opening session of the Forum on Patronage and Pluralism.
The purpose of the Forum which began a three-day public working session today is to allow the Advisory Group the opportunity to engage in discussions with the main stakeholders including officials from the Department of Education and Skills based on their written submissions.
A limited number of places have been made available to the public to attend the working session, but proceedings are also being broadcast live which you can view from here.
Find out more about the Forum in our media centre and you can also read previous posts written about the Forum below:
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: Education • ruairiquinn
Michael D Higgins selected as Labour's Presidential election candidate
Posted on June 20, 2011
Yesterday in Dublin's Mansion House the Labour Party selected Michael D Higgins to be our candidate in the forthcoming Presidential election.
"I am very honoured and very pleased and I intend to have an energetic campaign that will bring me all over the country... What I am aiming for is an inclusive citizenship in a creative society appropriate for a republic... I know the presidency is about representing the country at home and abroad and then relating it to the Government, which I believe I would do well," Michael D said.
We spoke to Michael D following the vote and you can see what he said in the accompanying video. You can also see photographs from the day on our Flickr account.
Permanent link | Comments | Categories: #aras11
