Results 3,301-3,320 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Legislative Programme: Legislative Programme (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act was enacted in July 2004. On 14 July 2005, sections 1, 2, 14(1)(a), 14(1)(c), 14(2) to 14(4), 19 to 37, 40 to 44, 50 to 53 and both Schedules to the Act were commenced. Separate establishment day orders were made in respect of the National Council for Special Education and the Special Education Appeals Board, setting their...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works a grant was sanctioned to enable the management authorities of the school in question to provide additional accommodation. The initiative allows boards of management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives boards of management control over the building...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy is one of three post-primary schools serving the post-primary educational needs of the area. This school has made application to my Department for capital investment to upgrade and refurbish facilities at the school. As part of the assessment process all relevant factors, including enrolment and demographic trends, must be taken into consideration in order...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds three maintenance grant schemes for third level students. These are the higher education grants scheme, the vocational education committees' scholarships scheme, and the third level maintenance grants scheme for trainees. The higher education grants scheme is administered by the local authorities. The other two schemes are administered by the vocational education...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the post-primary school transport scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport is she or he resides 4.8 km or more from her or his local post-primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which she or he lives. In addition, an eligible pupil may be allowed the concession of transport, known as catchment boundary transport, to a centre other than...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I understand that the person referred to by the Deputy is 20 years old and as such is not entitled to school transport. While persons in his circumstances may be offered school transport on an incidental free basis where there is a spare place on a route, unfortunately there is no spare place on this bus. However, support may be available for him from the Health Service Executive.

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is well aware, the president of Coláiste Mhuire, Marino, resigned from that position in April 2005. The matter relates to the employee-employer relationship between the head of the college and that person's employers, which, I understand, was subject to legal proceedings. In this regard, it is considered inappropriate for me to make any comment on the matter. The Deputy will...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department, has been asked to provide a report on the case referred to by the Deputy. When the report is received and considered, my Department will advise the Deputy of the position.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy originally applied for an extension and refurbishment to provide improved ancillary accommodation. The project proposed initially did not provide for any additional mainstream classrooms. In the process of assessment in accordance with the prioritisation criteria revised last year following consultation with the education partners, increasing enrolments...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the assessment of the school's application for additional accommodation, my officials have undertaken a detailed assessment of demographic trends, housing developments and enrolment trends in the area to ensure that any capital funding provided will deliver accommodation appropriate to the school's need into the future. This assessment has recently been completed and a decision...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has requested an up-to-date report from the transport liaison officer for County Cork regarding the situation outlined by the Deputy. As soon as the required information is received, a response will issue directly to the Deputy in the matter.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My officials have been in contact with my Department's inspectorate regarding the issue in question. I advise the Deputy that there are currently no Traveller pupils enrolled in this school and, therefore, the issue of additional teaching hours does not arise at this time.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation scheme has been announced under which schools have been 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 general allocation for the schools in question is 15 part-time hours in total. The schools'...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: On the basis of the information available to my officials it is my understanding that this matter has now been resolved in that the teacher referred to by the Deputy has taken up a teaching position in another school in the Donegal area.

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The home-school-community liaison scheme is one of my Department's main programmes for promoting educational inclusion. Home-school-community liaison services will have a central role in the new action plan for educational inclusion, DEIS, Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools, which I launched on 30 May last. The new action plan, which will be introduced on a phased basis —...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: In general, classes for pupils with severe and profound general learning disability, GLD, established by my Department, including the one referred to by the Deputy, are staffed by one teacher and two special needs assistants and can cater for a maximum of six pupils. My Department's records show that there are five pupils enrolled in the class in question which is currently staffed by one...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that this matter has been resolved and that my Department has recently given sanction for a resource teaching post to be based in the school concerned. This is a shared post which will also cater for resource hours which have been sanctioned to other schools in the vicinity. I also understand that the teacher the Deputy is concerned with has been taken off...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, a new general allocation scheme has been announced under which schools have been 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. Under the new system, the school in question has a full-time learning support-resource teaching post,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Sep 2005)

Mary Hanafin: An application for additional accommodation has been received from the management authority of the school mentioned by the Deputy. A detailed assessment of demographic trends, housing developments and enrolment trends was initiated in order to ensure that any capital funding provided will deliver accommodation appropriate to the school's need into the future. On completion of this assessment,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Sep 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. I have requested my officials to liaise with the NCSE on this particular case and I will inform the Deputy of the outcome of that process as...