Results 3,021-3,040 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Ten hours per week home tuition has been sanctioned for the child in question with effect from September 2005. This decision was conveyed to the parents recently. The allocation is the maximum number of hours available. My Department is undertaking a review of the home tuition scheme and the outcome of the review will assist my Department in devising procedures-guidelines for processing...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Every effort is made to ensure that children with special educational needs receive an education appropriate to their needs. Decisions regarding the most appropriate model of response in each particular case are based on the professionally assessed needs of the individual child. Current provision for pupils with autism includes 146 special classes for children with autism attached to special...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding for three Cabas facilities in Cork, Dublin Kilbarrack and Drogheda. Cabas Cork has recently been sanctioned additional funding to provide for an increased enrolment from 30 children to 32 and funding has been allocated to provide for the additional staffing required. Cabas Kilbarrack has been sanctioned to expand from 24 children to 30. The funding allocation...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: My Department monitors the cost limits for all school building projects on an ongoing basis, taking into account factors such as current conditions in the construction industry, published cost indices for labour and materials and movements in tender levels. Account is also taken of historical data on tender prices and changes arising from adjustments to school planning guidelines. In...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: My Department contributes 95% towards the cost of rental of temporary accommodation for primary schools with permanent recognition, where the need for additional accommodation has been established, as in this case, pending the provision of permanent accommodation. Since 2001, approval has been given, on an incremental basis, to the school authority to rent a total of four prefabricated units...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education, established recently and operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. Some 71 special educational needs organisers have been recruited and will be a focal point of contact for schools and parents. My officials have been informed by the National Council Special Education that an...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: An independent appeal board was established to adjudicate on appeals from boards of management on mainstream staffing teacher allocations in primary schools. The appeal board operates independently of the Minister for Education and Science and the Department of Education and Science and its decision is final. A circular outlining these procedures issued to all primary schools. The staffing of...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The assumption has not been made by my Department that a new primary school will be required for every 500 new homes built. The profile of new homes, the rate and pace of their delivery, the projected occupancy rate which varies from area to area, the likely pupil output, together with the availability of existing accommodation are all factors which must be taken into consideration before it...
- Written Answers — Child Care Services: Child Care Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: School facilities should be available to the community outside of school hours, whether for child care, for adult education courses or as somewhere for local community groups to meet, provided it is feasible. My Department issued a circular to the trustees, boards of management and principals of primary and voluntary secondary schools in March encouraging them to make their facilities...
- Written Answers — Competition Sponsorship: Competition Sponsorship (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Having attended the Form and Fusion Design Awards on several occasions and seen the excellent creative work of the students involved in the competition, I was disappointed to learn that the sponsor of this year's awards has decided not to continue its sponsorship for next year. While my Department would not be in a position to sponsor the competition, I hope that another sponsor will come...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: A new general allocation scheme has been announced under which schools will be 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. The introduction of this new system will involve the provision of an estimated additional 340 permanent posts in primary schools...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education, established recently and operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. Some 71 special educational needs organisers have been recruited and are a focal point of contact for schools and parents. My officials have been advised by the National Council for Special Education that no...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: The candidate in question completed a two-year higher certificate, national certificate, course in business studies at Blanchardstown Institute of Technology in 2004 in respect of which she received grant assistance and that she subsequently commenced a three-year ordinary degree, national diploma, in applied social studies in social care in the 2004-05 academic year at Sligo Institute of...
- Written Answers — Capital Projects: Capital Projects (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: My Department is moving toward a model of devolving funding and responsibility and authority as appropriate for building projects directly to school management authorities. The devolving of funding to local level will allow schools to have ownership of their projects and assist in moving projects in a specific timeframe to tender and construction and will also deliver better value for money....
- Written Answers — Capital Projects: Capital Projects (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: All applications submitted to my Department for major capital funding are assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation for large scale building projects. As part of this assessment, projects are identified as being suitable for delivery by a devolved route. In 2004 projects were considered under two separate devolved headings, the small schools initiative and the permanent...
- Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Outside of junior classes in primary schools, my Department's main role in the area of early childhood education encompasses pre-school provision for children from disadvantaged areas, for Traveller children and those with special needs. My Department funds 48 pre-school classes for traveller children. In the special needs sector, there are 14 pre-school classes for children with autism...
- Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 705 and 709 together. The national youth work development plan, published in August 2003, identifies four main goals and proposes some 50 action points to achieve these goals over a five-year period. Work has commenced on certain priority areas as follows. 2003 an amount of â¬80,000 was allocated in 2003 to the implementation of the child protection training...
- Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Financial allocations for 2005 for the youth work sector are being finalised. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy de Valera, expects to be in a position to make an announcement in this respect in the near future. The respective bodies and organisations which receive grant-in-aid funding from the youth affairs section of my Department are required to...
- Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: This appointment is viewed as one of the key priorities for the youth sector. The appointment is subject to the approval of the Minister for Finance. My officials have made proposals to the Department of Finance for the appointment for which I have set aside up to â¬70,000. Subject to the Department of Finance response, I expect to be in a position to put recruitment procedures in place as...
- Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (28 Jun 2005)
Mary Hanafin: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 266 of March 23 2005, discussions have taken place between my Department and representatives of the National Youth Council of Ireland and the IVEA-CEOs' association. These discussions are ongoing. A sub-committee of the national youth work advisory committee is drafting detailed guidelines and procedures necessary for the further roll-out of the Youth...