Results 281-300 of 11,242 for speaker:Noel Dempsey

Written Answers — Employee Assistance Scheme: Employee Assistance Scheme (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The interim phase of the employee assistance service for teachers concluded its operation in August 2003. A detailed review of the operation of the interim phase of the service was considered by the steering committee responsible for overseeing the operation of the service. The steering committee concluded that the current service arrangements should not be extended beyond the scheduled end...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 149, 153 and 161 together. Approximately 5,000 applications for special educational resources, or SER, were received between 15 February and 31 August 2003. Priority was given to some 1,000 cases involving children starting school last September and all these cases were responded to at or before the commencement of the current school year. The balance of...

Written Answers — Insurance Costs: Insurance Costs (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Funding is provided to primary and secondary schools by way of per capita grants which afford schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. This is in general a preferable approach to putting in place grants for specific cost items such as insurance. Also, moving to a position where the Government covers the insurance costs of primary...

Written Answers — Education Reports: Education Reports (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Commencing in October 2003, officials in my Department have had separate discussions with the management and staff representative interests in the sector to examine their respective priorities and to consider issues surrounding a number of the recommendations of the report, having regard to the implications for other areas of the education system. Discussions of the issues raised in the...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Making broadband Internet access available to all schools is a central objective of my Department in the promotion of ICT in first and second level education. Broadband will significantly enhance the potential of ICT in teaching and learning in schools by facilitating whole class access to a wide range of multimedia applications through the Internet, much faster downloading of educational...

Written Answers — Further Education: Further Education (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Further education colleges are operated under the management of the vocational education committees and funding is provided for pay and non-pay costs on the basis of the approved number of places on approved courses run by the colleges.

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: One of my key concerns in relation to tackling educational disadvantage is to improve the level of integration between the various educational disadvantage programmes operated by my Department. I anticipate that the review process referred to by the Deputy will be completed shortly.

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The OECD report to which the Deputy refers is based on an international survey of second level schools carried out in the period November 2001 to May 2002 across 17 OECD countries. Some 255 Irish school principals participated in the survey. While the survey portrays Irish second level schools as having an average pupil-computer ratio of 13 to 1 substantial additional funding has been...

Written Answers — Linguistics Institute of Ireland: Linguistics Institute of Ireland (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: At an extraordinary general meeting of ITE, held on 18 July 2003, the company agreed to initiate a process of voluntary liquidation. This decision was a matter for the members in accordance with their Memorandum and Articles of Association and relevant company law and was not related to financial considerations. A meeting of the executive committee of ITE on 5 December agreed a timetable for...

Written Answers — Montessori Teachers: Montessori Teachers (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: Two Montessori qualifications are recognised for restricted recognition by my Department, namely the AMI — Association Montessori Internationale — qualification, which has been recognised for teaching in special education settings since 1963, and the National Diploma or Degree in Humanities in Montessori Education from St. Nicholas Montessori College, which has been recognised since 1997...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 159 and 183 together. My Department has reviewed the process whereby it supports a range of inservice activities, including board of management training, for schools at primary and post-primary levels. In the past, limited financial support was provided to a range of course providers-organisers for elective programmes of inservice to the extent that resources...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: FÁS-registered apprentices attend institutes of technology for the fourth and sixth phases of their apprenticeship training. They do not attend universities for any part of their training. In 2003 I received requests from a number of governing bodies of institutes of technology for approval to apply the student service charge to defray the costs of registration, examinations and student...

Written Answers — University Privatisation: University Privatisation (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I have invited the OECD to conduct an extensive review of higher education in Ireland in order to map a future strategy for the sector. This is set against a background of Ireland's strategic objective of placing its higher education system in the top rank of the OECD in terms of both quality and level of participation and by the priority to create a world class research, development and...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Education (Welfare) Act was fully commenced on 5 July 2002. Under the Act, the National Educational Welfare Board was established to ensure that every child attends school regularly or otherwise receives an education. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service to provide welfare-focused services to children, families and schools. It has appointed a...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The Education (Welfare) Act was fully commenced on 5 July 2002. Under the Act, the National Educational Welfare Board was established to ensure that every child attends school regularly or otherwise receives an education. To discharge its responsibilities, the board is developing a nationwide service to provide welfare-focused services to children, families and schools. It has appointed a...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: The information requested by the Deputy is set out as follows: Age Profile Female teachers Male teachers Between 21 and 30 years 6,132 681 Between 31 and 40 years 4,267 735 Between 41 and 50 years 6,161 1,461 Between 51 and 60 years 4,139 1,475 Between 61 and 70 years 782 211 Totals 21,481 4,563 I am concerned about the position of imbalance between male and...

Written Answers — Education Issues: Education Issues (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I am aware of the speech, Public Issues in Education, to which the Deputy refers and I value Professor Lynch's contribution. I welcome the discussion on the many issues raised by Professor Lynch in her recent presentation to the Irish Primary Principals' Network. The Deputy will be aware that in this context, I have instigated a nationwide consultation process, Your Education System, that is...

Written Answers — School Discipline: School Discipline (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: My Department is aware of the many concerns which have been raised about young people's behaviour in relation to alcohol. For most young people it is the misuse of substances — particularly alcohol — which is the greatest threat to their physical and emotional health and to their well-being. As a consequence, students' engagement with their studies can be seriously affected. While...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: I do not have plans to reopen negotiations regarding the indemnity agreement. The original negotiations culminated in an agreement being reached whereby the congregations would make a total contribution of €128 million to the redress scheme. In return for the above contribution the State agreed to give the congregations an indemnity to the effect that if a person decided to pursue a case...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (30 Mar 2004)

Noel Dempsey: At present 128 institutions are listed on the schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act. Section 4 of the Act enables additional institutions that are identified as reformatory schools, industrial schools, orphanages, children's homes and special schools, in which children were placed and resident and in respect of which a public body had a regulatory or inspection function, to be...