Results 2,281-2,300 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The transfer of decentralising posts to Athlone is well underway. Seventy five (75) posts have been relocated to Athlone and I expect another 10 posts to be relocated to Athlone during the remainder of July.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department received an application for funding under the emergency works scheme from the school in question. A decision on the application will be made as soon as possible and the school will be advised of the outcome.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has a strong record in developing low energy educational buildings. For the past nine years it has been using a process called the DART approach to develop sustainable and energy efficiency in educational buildings. This acronym focuses on four key areas, namely design, awareness, research and technology. Rather than develop a unique focus on energy design the Department of...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The compulsory school starting age in a National School is 6 years of age. Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places....

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 276 and 278 together. As the Deputy will be aware, a number of sections of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act 2004 has 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. The National Council...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the provision of health services is a matter for the Health Services Executive (HSE) and funding is provided to the HSE for such purposes. The Deputy may wish to raise the matter with my colleague the Minister for Health and Children or directly with the Health Service Executive.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Emergency works grants are made available to primary and post-primary schools most in need of resources as a result of unforeseen emergencies of a capital nature that may arise during the school year. It is incumbent on the school to provide as much detail as possible to the Department on the nature of the emergency and the need for an emergency works grant to be paid to address the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am glad to inform the Deputy that my Department currently has 26 school projects due for completion for the 2008 school year. None of these schools will be heated by storage heating. All new schools are built to the specifications set out in the Departments technical Guidelines. These guidelines encourage the design team to take a complete design team approach from project conception....

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post primary education in the late 1960's. For school planning purposes, the country was divided into geographic districts, each with several primary schools feeding into a post primary education centre with one or more post primary schools. The intention was, and continues to be, that these defined districts would...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Mainstream staffing in primary schools is determined by reference to school enrolments on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. This is a transparent and clear way of ensuring that all schools are treated consistently and fairly and know...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: An application for funding under the emergency works scheme has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy to carry out special needs access works. The application is under examination at present and this is expected to be completed shortly. The school will be advised of the outcome as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Official Travel: Official Travel (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are no plans by Ministers, advisers or officials of my Department to visit Beijing on official departmental business during the period of the 2008 Olympic Games.

Written Answers — Departmental Publications: Departmental Publications (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However, if the Deputy has any particular publications in mind I would be happy to have my officials obtain the relevant details and communicate them to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education 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 such...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, the National Council for Special Education 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 such...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is the intention of my Department to provide a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers. This is being co-funded by another agency. The project is in the early stages of architectural planning. In this regard, a Stage 1 submission has been submitted by the school authority. This is being assessed by the Department's Technical and Professional staff. When this assessment has...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In March 2005, my Department gave TRBDI approval to proceed with seeking expressions of interest from private sector property developers to determine what could be provided at the estate referred to by the Deputy in exchange for the Institute's current property in Clonmel. I understand that negotiations with a preferred bidder are continuing.

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse was established in 1999 and was subsequently put on a statutory basis under the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse Act 2000. The terms of reference of the Commission are set out in the 2000 Act as amended by the Commission to Inquire into Child Abuse (Amendment) Act 2005. The purpose of the Commission is to investigate child abuse in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2008)

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

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may 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 such...