Results 4,221-4,240 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has received an application for permanent recognition from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application is currently being considered and a decision will be conveyed to the school authority in due course. In the meantime, as with all schools with temporary recognition, the school in question will continue to receive funding for teaching resources commensurate with its...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The person in question is in receipt of a pension from my Department under the National School Teachers Spouses' and Children's Pension Scheme, as the spouse of a deceased teacher. Neither ongoing pension nor any back payment is payable in respect of the person's granddaughter notwithstanding that the person is the child's guardian. Eligibility for children's pension under the scheme of...

Written Answers — Bullying in the Workplace: Bullying in the Workplace (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 474 to 479, inclusive, together. Both the universities and the institutes of technology are autonomous statutory bodies. Under the terms of the relevant statutes, the governance and day-to-day management of the institutions, including the monitoring of sick leave and procedures for dealing with allegations of bullying and harassment, are matters for which the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is my Department's intention to provide the school to which he refers with a new 8 classroom Generic Repeat Design building. The project is awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, 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 (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. Applications for SNAs may be considered by the NCSE where a pupil has a significant medical need for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The first school to which the Deputy refers is one of seven schools which I have approved for inclusion in the 3rd Bundle of schools to be procured under the Public Private Partnership process. This bundle is in the pre-procurement stage which involves the preparation of a detailed output specification and Public Sector Benchmark and the submission of an outline planning permission for each...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting an educational placement and to provide early intervention for pre-school children...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I informed the Deputy in response to his Parliamentary Question 485 on 17 February, 2009, the school to which he refers has applied to my Department for an extension project. I recently announced details of 43 major building projects to proceed to tender and construction and 25 high priority projects to commence architectural planning. The project in question was not included in this...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Interviews for an additional post in my Department's visiting teacher service for the visually impaired, to serve Co. Mayo, have been completed and the post offered to a successful candidate. A decision by the candidate to accept the post, or otherwise, is imminent. It is not possible at this time to say when work in the post will commence.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase, will be considered in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that all primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs including mild general learning disability (MGLD). All primary schools were given these additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model of learning support/resource teaching introduced in 2005....

Written Answers — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Institutes of Technology are working closely with FÁS to assist all apprentices complete the education phases of their training in a timely manner. In addition, my Department is working with FÁS, the Higher Education Authority and the Institutes of Technology to assist those who have been made redundant to complete their apprenticeships.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is my Department's intention to provide the school to which the Deputy refers with a new building. The project is awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education, while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure, could not be totally spared. The various impacts at school level were included in the...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations, making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination and issuing the results of examinations. In view of this, I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 497 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the names and addresses of each second level school in receipt of additional teaching resources for special educational needs and language support is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Applications for the Summer Works Scheme are currently being assessed and schools will be notified of the outcome in due course. Minor Works Grants of around €27m were paid out to primary schools throughout the country for the 2008/2009 school year to enable thousands of small scale works to be completed without the need to interact with my Department. Individual primary schools received...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) established under, and governed according to the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 2001. Each VEC is a statutory body with its own corporate status. Financial allocations are made to the VECs as part of a block grant. VECs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of their budgets and each VEC is allowed to...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) established under the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 2001. Each VEC is a statutory body with its own corporate status and a breakdown of the schools under the management of each VEC is attached for the Deputy's information. List of VEC schools for the 2008/2009 school year broken down by Vocational Education Committees VEC Name...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The responsibility for managing access to third level places rests with the Central Applications Office (CAO) and the third level institutions generally. The higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their first year undergraduate courses. However, the participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions. Neither...