Results 2,621-2,640 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...

Written Answers — Student Population Increase: Student Population Increase (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department takes account of projected changes in population when identifying requirements for future educational provision. It is my intention to make the latest projections publicly available shortly.

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

Mary Hanafin: Special needs assistants or SNAs are assigned to schools to meet the care needs of individual children who have been assessed by a psychologist as needing this type of support. There has been no change to the criteria or guidelines for allocating SNA support to schools and I further confirm that there are no plans to review the criteria or guidelines under which SNA support is allocated....

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

Mary Hanafin: The recent report of the Irish Language Commissioner highlighted the fact that despite appreciable time devoted to Irish in the school system many students emerge from primary and post-primary education without achieving a reasonable command of the language. Particular concerns were raised about students' command of the spoken language. While I accept that the standard of oral Irish in...

Written Answers — Education Places: Education Places (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The full-time programmes within the further education sector that are funded by my Department and managed and delivered by the vocational education committees are Youthreach, senior Traveller training programmes, the vocational training opportunities scheme and post-leaving certificate courses. In excess of 39,000 places will be provided on these programmes in 2005-06. This comprises in the...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy may be aware that the policy issues associated with renewable energy sources are matters for my colleague, the Minister for Communications, Marine and Natural Resources. A dedicated agency, Sustainable Energy Ireland or SEI was established under the aegis of his Department for the purpose of addressing these issues, including the commissioning of appropriate research. However, my...

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 — Adult Education: Adult Education (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Further Education and Training Awards Council, FETAC, was established on 11 June 2001 under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999. It is the single national awarding body for further education and training in Ireland, and is now responsible for making awards that were previously made by CERT, now Fáilte Ireland, FÁS, the National Council for Vocational Awards, NCVA,...

Written Answers — Weight of Schoolbags: Weight of Schoolbags (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The previous correspondence, which is referred to in the letter in question, was forwarded to my Department for direct reply by my colleague, the Tánaiste and Minister for Health and Children, Deputy Harney. This correspondence was replied to by my private secretary on 9 May 2005. The letter referred to by the Deputy was replied to by my private secretary on 10 June 2005 updating the...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 669 and 738 together. The adult education guidance initiative is funded by my Department under the National Development Plan 2000-2006. Phase 4 of the initiative is due to commence in September 2005. Applications for funding of pilot projects under phase 4 of the initiative were invited from statutory and voluntary bodies with a capacity to deliver an adult...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board as the single national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised school...

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

Mary Hanafin: There were 273.31 whole-time equivalent special needs assistants, also known as SNAs, employed in 80 primary schools in County Kildare on my Department's payroll at the end of May 2005. It is not possible to say how many of these will have their contracts renewed for the new school year. Responsibility for the recruitment and employment of SNAs rests with the relevant school authorities. SNAs...

Written Answers — University Post: University Post (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is well aware, the president of the college covered by the Deputy's questions resigned from that position on Friday, 29 April. The matter relates to the employee-employer relationship between the head of the college and that person's employers which, I understand, were subject to legal proceedings. In this regard, it is considered that it is not appropriate for me to make any...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion that I launched in May, the recruitment and retention of principals and teaching staff in schools serving disadvantaged communities is given particular focus. In addition, there will be a renewed emphasis on professional development for principals and teaching staff working in such...

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

Mary Hanafin: I feel that I must be circumspect in making any premature judgment in relation to the recent tragic school bus accident in county Meath before the results of the Garda, Bus Éireann and Health and Safety Authority investigations are available. Clearly the factors which have contributed to this devastating incident must be carefully analysed and examined before we can consider the appropriate...

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

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy is included in the disadvantaged areas scheme, DAS, and the Giving Children an Even Break, GCEB, programme. Under the disadvantaged areas scheme the school benefits from one additional ex-quota teaching post, additional capitation grants of €38.09 per capita, a refund of the television licence fee and eligibility for 95% building grants for building...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Schools will not lose any previous disadvantaged designation as a result of the introduction of the new general allocation system. Schools whose allocations under the new general allocation scheme are based on an enrolment of 80:1 are those disadvantaged schools that are specifically eligible for additional staffing under the urban dimension of the Giving Children an Even Break scheme. The...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (14 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. As the Deputy may be aware my Department has issued a letter to all primary schools notifying them of their teaching allocation under the new general allocation model for the 2005-06 school year. The letter also includes details of any clustering arrangements that may apply. One of the objectives of the general...

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

Mary Hanafin: For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. Catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. My Department provides accommodation to meet the...

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

Mary Hanafin: The pupil in question did not attend the appropriate feeder primary school which would entitle her to a place in the community school to which the Deputy refers. This community school 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 those who are entitled, as of...