Results 2,601-2,620 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: On foot of a Government decision, the then Minister for Education and Science formally established the State Examinations Commission on 6 March 2003. The commission now has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, such as the timetabling of examinations. I have asked officials from my Department to discuss the matter with the State...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's payroll can provide information on the number of days for which unqualified temporary and substitute teachers were employed. In the 2003-04 school year, 139,570 substitution days were paid to unqualified teachers. In the same year, 165,087 days in respect of temporary teacher appointments were paid to unqualified teachers. However, I should point out that, as the teacher's...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 117 and 831 together. There is at present no legal requirement to wear seat belts in buses, including school buses, in this country. However, EU Directive 2003/20 requires seat belts to be used where they are fitted. This directive must be transposed into national law by 9 May 2006. Separately, proposals to extend the requirement for seat belts to be fitted in...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school planning section of my Department is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects which were revised following consultation with the education partners last year. Progress on the application is being considered in...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 119 and 148 together. The loading of all school buses is determined by the relevant sections of the Road Traffic (Construction, Equipment and Use of Vehicles) Regulations which are laid down by the Department of Transport. The licensed carrying capacity of all vehicles engaged in school transport is based on a ratio of three pupils for every two adult seats,...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 120 and 778 together. The staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. This staffing schedule is outlined in primary Circular 15/05 which issued to all primary schools recently. This is in line with guidelines agreed between my...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Completed data are not available for the current school year because a number of outstanding queries on returns from a small number of schools must be resolved before the current primary census is finalised. I will forward the information sought directly to the Deputy as soon as it is available.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is important to understand that my Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result in parents not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice for their child. There are ten primary schools in the Lucan area including two new state of the art multi-denominational schools and a new...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Residential Institutions Redress Board is an independent body established under statute in December 2002 to provide financial redress to persons who, as children, were abused while resident in industrial schools, reformatories or other institutions that were subject to State regulation or inspection. To date, the board has received 6,300 applications and has processed some 3,277 of these...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, a new scheme for allocating resource teachers to schools to cater for the needs of children with high-incidence special needs and learning support needs was announced last month. The reason for the new scheme is simple. Children with special needs such as dyslexia or mild learning difficulties are found in almost every school. It makes sense then that every school...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In respect of the funding being provided for ICT in our schools, it is important to note the significant developments in recent years and the fact that a major project is under way at present to bring broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year joint Government-IBEC-TIF fund....

Written Answers — School Inspections: School Inspections (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 127 and 144 together. In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. It is open to school...

Written Answers — Third Level Sector: Third Level Sector (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The McIver report on the PLC sector contains 21 over-arching recommendations, incorporating over 90 sub-recommendations. Having regard to the number and scope of the recommendations in the report, consultations have been held with management and staff interests with regard to such issues as the prioritisation of recommendations, the structural changes envisaged in the report, their...

Written Answers — Register of Courses: Register of Courses (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's website, to which the Deputy refers, contains a provisional list of courses which are approved by me in the context of allowing students from outside the European economic area and Switzerland access to the labour market. My Department has recently commenced the compilation of a register of courses which meet criteria in relation to duration and quality. The register is now...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In the 2004-05 school year 2,951 leaving certificate pupils have gained an exemption from the study of Irish. The number of pupils exempt from the study of Irish fluctuates annually depending on pupils applying who meet the criteria as set down by my Department. My Department has issued guidelines in relation to the granting of exemptions from the study of Irish to primary and post-primary...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department's records are held on a calendar year basis rather than by academic year and the information which I am providing reflects that position. Since the start of 2004 my Department has spent €5,529,738 on the purchase of prefabricated buildings at post-primary level. This expenditure was for the supply and installation of the prefabricated buildings including associated site works...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers is heavily oversubscribed as a result of a significant number of pupils enrolling from outside its catchment area. The development of this type of situation can impact negatively on pupils who reside within the catchment area and who are entitled, as of right, to a place in a particular school. It also invariably impacts negatively on the school or...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 134 and 768 together. Significant improvements have been made in the pupil teacher ratio and in average class size in recent years. The average class size at primary level is now 23.9, down from 26.6 in 1996-97. The pupil teacher ratio, which includes all the teachers including resource teachers, has fallen from 22.2:1 in the 1996-97 school year to 17.44:1 in...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Section 4 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 enables additional institutions, in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be added to the Schedule to the Act. Since the enactment of the legislation, my Department has received correspondence from both individuals and survivor groups identifying a...

Written Answers — Mobile Telephony: Mobile Telephony (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the Education Act 1998, individual school authorities are responsible for the day-to-day running of schools. It is a matter for each school authority to establish rules on what is and is not acceptable for students to do while on the school premises, provided that those rules are lawful, fair and reasonable. The National Centre for Technology in Education, in its advice...