Results 2,441-2,460 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Departmental Guidelines: Departmental Guidelines (10 Jul 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought by the Deputy is being compiled and will be forwarded to him as soon as possible.
- Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (10 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 — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (10 Jul 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware I made a detailed statement to the Dail on this matter earlier today in which I outlined the background to the education sector's reduction of ⬠6.6m in it's budget allocation for 2008. This year my Department secured a budget increase of some â¬690m in an overall allocation of over â¬9.3 billion for the education sector. I will ensure that the administrative...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Over â¬2.6 billion has been provided for school building infrastructure between 2000 and 2006 and a further â¬4.5 billion is to be invested under the current National Development Plan 2007-2013. Close to â¬600m of this will be provided this year alone. These capital allocations include provision for PE facilities as an intrinsic part of the design for new school buildings or...
- Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: In accordance with the Rules and Programme for Secondary Schools, all second-level schools should provide Physical Education as part of the curriculum. The programme that each school plans and delivers should be based on my Department's approved syllabuses and the teaching hours should be registered in the school timetable. The syllabuses have been developed on the basis of a time...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)
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, for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details supplied...
- Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1639 and 1687 together. My Department provides annual funding to the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences (IRCHSS) and the Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology (IRCSET) to award a number of post graduate scholarships. An application should be made directly to the appropriate Research Council and the terms and...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1640 and 1767 together. Almost â¬4.5bn has been allocated to the school building programme under the current National Development Plan. This allocation was the result of discussions and analysis between officials in my Department and officials in the Department of Finance. The school building programme is primarily focussed on meeting the demand for new...
- Written Answers — Millennium Partnership Fund: Millennium Partnership Fund (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Millennium Partnership Fund has been in operation since 2000. The objective of the fund is to support students from disadvantaged areas with regard to retention and participation in further or higher education. Area Partnership Companies and Community Partnerships manage the fund locally. The Fund is administered by Pobal on behalf of the Department and the National Office for Equity...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Department is aware of the accommodation pressures being experienced by the school referred to by the Deputy. The project at this school has a band rating of 1, the highest priority that the Department assigns to major capital projects. A design team has yet to be appointed to the project. The progression of the school's major capital project will be considered on an on-going basis in...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the general allocation system was introduced in schools in September 2005, under which schools were provided with resource teaching hours, based on their enrolment figures, to cater for children with high incidence special needs such as dyslexia and those with learning support needs. It is a matter for the school authorities to determine how these hours are utilised to...
- Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Junior Certificate School Programme (JCSP) was introduced in September 1996 as an intervention within the Junior Certificate specifically aimed at students who are potential early school leavers. It is designed to assist schools and individual teachers in adopting a student-centred approach to education and to provide students with a programme to meet their individual needs. There are...
- Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The terms and conditions including pay entitlements of casual and non-casual post primary teachers under the Protection of Employees (Part-Time Work) Act, 2001 were negotiated and agreed in 2005 between the Education Partners and my Department. Casual and non-casual teachers in Secondary and Community/Comprehensive schools have been paid on my Department's payrolls since January 2006 and the...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that home tuition has been sanctioned for the child in question.
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The body mentioned by the Deputy is not recognised as a patron for post-primary schools. My Department is currently considering a number of issues relating to the recognition process for second-level schools and the matter raised by the Deputy will be examined in that context.
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school in question submitted an application to my Department for funding for the items listed. Following assessment of the application and in the light of the large number of projects seeking funding from my Department from the capital budget, unfortunately, it is not possible to provide funding for these items on this occasion.
- Written Answers — Third Level Funding: Third Level Funding (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1649 and 1835 together. There have been substantial improvements in the funding of higher education in recent years. Overall provision to the third level sector (capital, recurrent, student grants etc) amounted to some â¬1.5 billion in 2004, â¬1.9 billion in 2007 and some â¬2 billion in 2008. This is an increase of some 33% since 2004 and an increase of...
- Written Answers — Departmental Transport: Departmental Transport (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not purchase or lease any vehicles. Ministerial vehicles are provided to my Department by the Department of Justice, Equality and Law Reform.
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware of my Department's commitment to ensuring that all children including those with special needs can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers, special needs assistants and the appropriate...
- Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (24 Sep 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The implementation of the recommendations of the Second Report of the Public Service Benchmarking Body is the subject of current discussions between the social partners at national level in the context of the successor to the public service pay element of Towards 2016. The issue of the application of the award to retired Principals and Deputy Principals will be addressed following the...