Results 5,761-5,780 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The detailed staffing allocations that individual schools will have for the commencement of the academic year 2009-10 will not be finalised until the allocation processes at primary and post-primary level have fully concluded.
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: There is nothing exceptional in that. The allocation processes include appellate mechanisms under which schools can appeal against the allocationââ
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: ââdue to them under the staffing schedules.
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: That is particularly relevant at post-primary level where the appeals process considers in particular any specific curricular needs of the school concerned. At primary level the final allocation to a school is also a function of the operation of the redeployment panels which provide for the retention of a teacher in the existing school if a new post is not available within the agreed terms of...
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: ââand build in the arrangements for ensuring that teachers who are surplus in one post-primary school can be moved to meet the needs of other post-primary schools. We already have about 200 over quota posts in schools, which means some schools have posts they are not entitled to under the existing staffing arrangements.
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Ultimately, having a working redeployment scheme at post-primary is about bringing about a situation where schools are treated on an equitable basis across the second level system, each school has the number of teachers it is entitled to and no one school is being disadvantaged while another is substantially over quota. The dynamics of the teacher allocation process are more complex at...
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Since 2003, when those improvements for substitution cover were first introduced, we have spent dramatically more on substitution. Much of that additional spending will be retained with the 37 hour supervision scheme being maintained. I am aware that from January the changes regarding substitution will present particular challenges for school managers but we felt that suspending part of the...
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have left the payment to individual teachers in place and for the moment suspended the cover for uncertified sick leave and school business. Prior to 2003, schools managed without any of that provision and this did not impede their capacity to participate, for example, in football and other sports competitions. I fully accept that was possible through flexibility and goodwill all round. As...
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Schools that require language support will still be entitled to get it. However, the budget measures will mean that the level of that support will be reduced to a maximum of two teachers per school, as was the case before 2007. We still envisage having over 1,400 language support teachers in our schools in September 2009 and up to about 500 other teachers in part-time posts. By any...
- Education Cuts: Motion (29 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: This will be done on a case-by-case basis.
- Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have appointed two special advisers since I was appointed Minister for Education and Science, one a Civil Servant and the other a non-Civil Servant. The annual salaries paid to the two officers are â¬104,005 and â¬86,168 respectively. These two appointments and the salaries paid to the two officers are in accordance with the Department of Finance Instructions relating to the...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The acquisition of the site will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for school buildings generally. I am not in a position to say at this stage when the acquisition will be concluded.
- Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. All students who are eligible for means tested student support have the student charge paid on their behalf by the Local Authorities or the Vocational Education Committees, in addition to any maintenance grant and tuition fee grant they are entitled to....
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252 and 265 together. As the Deputies will be aware, a significant number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, 2004 have been commenced, principally those establishing the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) and those promoting an inclusive approach to the education of children with special needs....
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently one of a number of projects at an advanced stage of architectural planning. It was not, however, included in the most recent tranche of projects announced in September as, due to normal budgetary constraints and the need to manage the capital programme in an orderly fashion, not all building projects can proceed to tender and construction at...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The implementation of improvements in rates of pay and conditions of service for substitute teachers allied with the substantial increase in the numbers of teachers employed and the extension of absences covered by substitution has increased the cost significantly in recent years. The cost of substitution cover in primary schools in the past five years is as follows: 2003 â â¬26.3 million,...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The scheme of substitution for Official School Business at post-primary level was introduced in conjunction with the Supervision / Substitution scheme in 2002. Further to the announcement in Budget 2009, substitution cover for official school business will be suspended from January 2009. Official school business relates to absences of post-primary teachers at sports events, seminars,...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 256 and 272 together. Since the Summer Works Scheme was introduced, over 3,000 projects, costing in excess of â¬300 million, have been completed. With so many smaller projects having been completed over the past few years, the particular emphasis in 2008 has been on providing sufficient school places in developing areas, while also delivering improvements in...
- Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that there are currently 151 psychologists employed in my Department's NEPS service, including some 21 psychologists who have been appointed since the end of June last. Furthermore 7 individuals have agreed start dates with the service between now and early January 2009 and an additional 6 are currently considering offers of employment or undergoing the requisite...
- Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (23 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has provided continuing professional development (CPD) across a range of subjects and programmes at primary and post primary level in the period referred to. This has been delivered by subject specific support services and administered and delivered through the education centre network. Throughout this period support services have developed as their remit dictated from an...