Results 3,161-3,180 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has no plans to acquire the property to which the Deputy refers.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 308 special needs assistants (SNAs), employed in 80 primary schools in County Kildare on my Department's payroll. It is not possible to say how many of these SNAs will have their contracts renewed for the new school year. The situation in relation to the retention of SNAs by schools can vary from school to school depending on the needs of the individual children and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department already supports the education of individual students with autism in various second level schools throughout the country. Discussions are taking place with the management authorities of a small number of schools with a view to establishing second level provision for groups of children with autism who are now coming to a transition stage and are about to move from primary to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I understand the pupil in question has been offered an educational placement in two special schools in County Kildare but that her parents would prefer if she went to a different special school, which has not accepted her enrolment application. Enrolment decisions are the responsibility of the board of management of each school. The Department has no role in processing applications for...

Written Answers — School Places: School Places (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 451 and 452 together. The information in the format requested by the Deputy is not readily available. However, the Deputy will be aware that my Department has made a number of interventions in the areas concerned in recent years to ensure that there are adequate pupil places to meet demand. Specifically, the management authority of St. Patrick's post primary...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 453 and 454 together. 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has sanctioned the following provision for pupils with emotional and behavioural problems at primary school level: eight special classes for pupils with emotional behavioural problems; six special classes for pupils with severe emotional behavioural problems; two special classes for pupils with ADHD in mainstream primary schools. All such classes operate at a pupil teacher...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school planning section of my Department is finalising its in depth analysis of both primary and post-primary education infrastructure in New Ross which included consultation with the trustees of the existing schools. In addition, a technical assessment has been carried out on all post-primary facilities with an equivalent assessment at primary level due to take place shortly. The...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school planning section of my Department has received a number of applications for additional accommodation from schools in Enniscorthy. In response to these applications, the school planning section has decided to undertake a review of provision in the area at both primary and post-primary level. This review will be undertaken later this year.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Where a pupil has a high incidence disability, that is, those with mild or borderline mild general learning disability, dyslexia or a learning support need, these needs will now be catered for from within the general allocation system recently announced to schools. Any pupils within these categories, for whom applications were previously submitted to my Department now fall to be catered for...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is understood that the Deputy is referring to a primary school in Rathwire, County Westmeath. My Department does not have an application for capital funding from this school. However, the Deputy will be aware that recently a new planning model for educational infrastructure was introduced to ensure that, in future, school provision will be decided after a transparent consultation process....

Written Answers — Inquiry into Child Abuse: Inquiry into Child Abuse (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Section 4 (1) of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 enables the Minister for Education and Science to make an order providing for the insertion of additional institutions, in which children were placed and resident, in the schedule of the Act. To be considered for inclusion in the schedule, the institution concerned must have been regulated or inspected by a public body. On 9...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which was established recently, and which has been operational since 1 January 2005 is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. Some 71 special educational needs organisers, SENOs, have been recruited throughout the country and are a focal point of contact for schools...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The details of the annual surrender figures for the years 1997 to 2004 are listed as follows. The surrender figures are net figures which take account of under-overspends throughout the Department's Vote. Year Annual Budget Underspend Underspend as % of Budget â'¬ â'¬ % 1998 3,187,000,000 31,030,000 1 1999 3,530,000,000 38,400,000 1 2000 4,140,000,000 100,900,000 2.40...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I indicated that the three for two seating arrangement will be phased out over a three year period or sooner, if possible. It is too early to say what the seating arrangements will be on individual school bus routes for the next school year until all relevant information has been received and processed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is 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. The three schools in question have been arranged in different cluster arrangements under the new model. One of the...

Written Answers — Drug Prevention Education: Drug Prevention Education (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Drug prevention education is currently one component of the social, personal and health education, SPHE, programme of pre-service education for all primary student teachers in each college of education. For post primary student teachers, the SPHE programme is offered as an elective on the higher diploma in education. While initial teacher training provides graduates with the knowledge and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education, NCSE which was established recently and which has been operational since 1 January 2005 is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. Some 71 special educational needs organisers, SENOs, have been recruited throughout the country and are a focal point of contact for schools and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, special needs assistants, 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. Applications for SNA support are now dealt with by the National Council for Special Education which processes all applications for support from schools and communicate the decisions directly to...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Jun 2005)

Mary Hanafin: 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 Department and the education partners. In the current school...