Results 8,641-8,660 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005, and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports from primary and post primary schools through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). The SENO is also a focal point of contact for parents and schools and their...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978/79 scheme for the employment of full-time secretaries and caretakers in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created....

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A grant scheme for schoolbooks for needy pupils in post-primary schools has operated since the introduction of the scheme for the provision of free post-primary education in the 1967/68 school year. The purpose of the scheme is to provide aid towards the cost of schoolbooks. A needy pupil, for the purpose of the scheme, is defined as a pupil from a family in which genuine hardship exists....

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 350 together. As the Deputy will be aware, all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are available on my Department's website. Schools that do...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA and have an assessment carried out by a...

Written Answers — School Textbooks: School Textbooks (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on which textbooks to use in first and second-level schools are taken at school level. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over-frequent changes to textbooks, primarily in order to minimise increases in the cost burden for parents. However, textbooks have to be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that the home tuition scheme which provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In addition to the Maintenance Grant Schemes, funding is also available to students from the Millennium Partnership Fund. The Fund supports retention and participation among under-represented groups of students in further and higher education and is available to students in area partnerships and community groups which participate in the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme (LDSIP)....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Acquisition of a site for primary school provision in Tyrrellstown is advancing well. The site is such that it should provide accommodation for up to two 24 classroom schools, each of which would have a 3 stream junior infant intake. This equates to a pupil intake of 162 junior infants per year. The Department will be discussing the configuration and size of the schools with the two patron...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The New School Advisory Committee (NSAC) has received formal notification from Educate Together of an intention to apply for the recognition of a new primary school for September, 2008 in the location referred to by the Deputy. The NSAC is an independent advisory group established to process applications for the recognition of new primary schools and to make recommendations to the Minister...

Written Answers — Schools Funding: Schools Funding (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The funding arrangements made by my Department for second level schools reflect the sectoral division of our second level system. At the core of all arrangements is a reliance upon capitation as the principle determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I presume the Deputy is referring to the school's application for funding under the Summer Works Scheme 2008. The closing date for the Summer Works Scheme 2008 was 28 September 2007. Decisions on the Scheme will be made later in the year.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The tender documentation for the project referred to by the Deputy is almost complete. Progression of all projects to tender and construction will be considered in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 363 and 364 together. My Department funds three maintenance grant schemes for third level students which are administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees. These are the Higher Education Grants Scheme, the Vocational Education committees' Scholarship Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees and the...

Written Answers — School Closures: School Closures (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy is a four teacher school with approximately 16 pupils. There are three teaching vacancies out of a total teaching complement of four teaching posts at the school. Due to this exceptional number of vacancies, the school was unable to re-open in September 2007. I am informed that the Board of Management is actively engaged in a recruitment process to fill...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has applied for funding for works under the Summer Works Scheme 2008. Decisions on the scheme will be made later in the year.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available however a decision on the Summer Works Scheme will be made later in the year.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can inform the Deputy that a decision on this matter has been communicated to the family concerned.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My officials intend meeting with the National Braille Production Centre in the coming weeks and it is expected that the annual funding paid to the Centre will be one of the items for discussion.

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Since 28 March 2006, a fully qualified teacher in either the primary or post primary sector must be registered with the Teaching Council, the independent statutory body, which regulates the teaching profession. For registration to take place, an individual must satisfy certain criteria, including criteria relating to academic qualifications. I understand that a registration application has...