Results 2,921-2,940 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Turning to higher education, the capital allocation is being increased by over â¬100 million to â¬265 million in 2009. This represents an increase of almost 50% compared with the projected outturn for 2008. The 2009 capital allocation is one of the highest annual levels of investment in core higher educational infrastructure over the past ten years and represents an increase of just over...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Opposition, where it is critical of individual policy choices, owes it to the people to present real, tangible alternatives rather than vague, meaningless rhetoric.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: There are no such tangible proposals in the Fine Gael press releases.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: These are strong on criticism and utterly deficient in saying anything that might offend anyone, anywhere. In the Fine Gael document Recovery Through Reform, the reference to a 3% reduction in the budgets of Departments, including Education and Science, is meaningless in the absence of specifics.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: It is significant that the Department's salary bill constitutes less than 1% of the education spend.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Were the Department to be abolished the Deputy's party would still have to find a further 2% savings and some mechanism for paying teachers, SNAs, managing school transport and the building programmes in the absence of any people to do this.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I assume this is not what Fine Gael envisages. However, if it is, the party should say so. You, Deputy Hayes should issue another press release to confirm your position.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I apologise.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: On this occasion, when Deputy Hayes is outlining policy, I suggest he put less emphasis on sound bites and more on substance. It is essential to place the current measures in a proper context. In 2009, taking account of the measures announced today, the net pay bill for teachers' salaries and pensions will increase by almost â¬300 million as a result of a combination of pay increases and...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: In the case of fee-paying post-primary schools the number of pupils required will increase by two. This change to the pupil-teacher ratio will increase average class sizes.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: It is also necessary to reintroduce a cap of two on the number of language support teachers per school. However, in response to Deputy Hayes's speech, support will be provided to help reduce the impact of the cap on those schools with very large numbers of pupils requiring language support.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: With effect from 1 January 2009, substitution cover for uncertified sick leave in all schools and for official school business in post-primary schools is being suspended. I am asking schools to consider carefully the necessity for absences at events outside school which take place during core class contact time.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Substitution cover will still be paid for all other categories of teacher absence currently provided for and the 37 hour scheme of payment to teachers for supervision and substitution will continue.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: There will be rationalisation of in-career development courses for teachers in 2009. However, we will continue to provide a wide range of courses to teachers in key areas including special education and language support.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: On school funding, improvements are being made to the rates of capitation funding available to schools with a total value of â¬20 million. I cited here to the Opposition spokesperson on education that it was my desire to increase the levels. Despite the stringent financial circumstances, at primary level the standard rate of capitation grant has increased from â¬57.14 per pupil in 1997 to...
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The ancillary services grant has also substantially increased from â¬38.09 per pupil in 1997 to â¬151.50 in 2008.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The increases in capitation and ancillary grants I have announced will see day-to-day funding for primary schools increase by nearly â¬25 to â¬355 per pupil.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: At post-primary level, capitation will increase by â¬14 per pupil to â¬345, an increase of 4.3% over 2008.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have also made provision for an increase of â¬8 per pupil in equalisation funding provided to voluntary secondary schools. A number of specialist grants have been abolished with the general capitation increases aimed at giving schools maximum flexibility in how they use their grant allocation.
- Financial Resolution No. 15: (General) Resumed (15 Oct 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have also decided to regularise an anomalous situation whereby fee-charging schools under Catholic patronage were not in receipt of certain grants, including the support services grant, that were paid to other fee-charging schools. This measure will see all fee-charging schools treated on the same basis regardless of religious denomination. The education of students with special...