Results 3,401-3,420 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of time to compile. In terms of the staffing implications at individual school level for the 2009/10 school year, schools are currently returning data to my Department in relation to their enrolment as of 30 September. My Department has commenced processing this data...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Notwithstanding the increase of €302 million in the Education budget for 2009, in making the announcement of the Budget measures for education I stressed that tough choices had to be made in meeting the needs of the education sector in these difficult times. The resources available to the Department have meant that these choices have been very challenging. The decision made to suspend the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Programme: Schools Building Programme (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is in the early stages of architectural planning and, as such, it is not yet at a stage where it would be on a list of projects due to proceed to construction. The project will have to complete the various design and planning stages before it is ready to be considered for progression to tender and construction. The progression of...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. The Government's commitment to education is clear both from its track record over the past decade in providing substantial additional resources, most notably extra teachers to meet previously unmet needs and from the programme the Government set for itself when it came into office. A lot has changed in the past year and the first...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Notwithstanding the increase of €302 million in the education budget for 2009, in making the announcement of the Budget measures for education I stressed that tough choices had to be made in meeting the needs of the education sector in these difficult times. The resources available to the Department have meant that these choices have been very challenging. The decision made to suspend the...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the correspondence referred to by the Deputy. The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The process of reviewing income limits for the standard and Special Rate of Maintenance Grants has been completed in my Department and will apply for the 2008/09 academic year. The current income limit for the Special Rate has been substantially increased by 11.6% from €18,055 to €20,147. I am committed to ongoing improvements in the student support schemes such as increasing the income...

Written Answers — School Management: School Management (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the concerns raised by the bodies referred to by the Deputy. However we are dealing with an economic situation of unprecedented difficulty. The Government has a collective duty to respond to this and to take very difficult decisions in the national interest. In doing this we have attempted to afford some shelter to the education sector but given the scale of public expenditure...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 542, 544 and 545 together. My Department is aware of the accommodation needs of Celbridge, Naas and Maynooth. As part of the programme initiated by my Developing Areas Unit in 2008, projects to meet both the immediate and medium term needs are completed, or are nearing completion, in all three locations. My Department will continue to monitor the accommodation...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 543, 546, 547 and 552 together. Under the current National Development Plan (2007-2013), a total of almost €4.5 billion has been allocated to the school building programme. The allocation for school building in 2009 is €581 million. Although this is a slight reduction over the 2008 allocation of €586 million, it represents a significant investment in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to advise the Deputy, that the proposed new school at Kill, is one of the 25 schools listed in my announcement on 29 September 2008 regarding school building projects to proceed to tender and construction. The current position regarding this school's building project is that the Stage 2b documentation (Detailed Design & Bill of Quantities) was received in my Department's offices...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 550 and 551 together. The specific information requested by the Deputy is not readily available within my Department and would take an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. The staffing allocation of primary schools for the academic year 2009/10 cannot be determined until the allocation process has fully concluded. There is nothing exceptional...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 553 and 554 together. The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally spared....

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 558 to 570, inclusive, together. The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The 2009 Budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect Education while protected to a much greater extent than most other areas of public expenditure could not be totally spared. Prudent management of the Government finances is...

Written Answers — Clárú Múinteoirí: Clárú Múinteoirí (5 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ní mór do dhaoine ar mhian leo bheith cláraithe mar mhúinteoirí sa tír seo iarraidh ar an gComhairle Múinteoireachta a gcáilíochtaí a aithint. Nuair atá na riachtanais go léir comhlíonta ag na hiarratasóirí, agus nuair atá a gcuid cáilíochtaí aitheanta ag an gComhairle Múinteoireachta, féadann iarratasóirí cur isteach ar aitheantas mar mhúinteoirí bunscoile nó...

Written Answers — Coláistí Samhraidh Gaeilge: Coláistí Samhraidh Gaeilge (5 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: In ainneoin an mhéadaithe de €302 milliún atá sa bhuiséad oideachais do 2009, éacht nach beag agus an eacnamaíocht mar atá sé, ní raibh aon dul as ach roinnt cinntí crua, deacra a dhéanamh. Léiríodh na cinntí seo i measc na bhfógairtí Lá an Bhuiséid agus ina measc bhí cealú an deontais a bhí á íóc ag mo Roinnse do na coláistí samhraidh Gaeilge. B'é ráta an...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (5 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: An application for grant-aid for the provision of a resource room was approved for the school referred to by the Deputy. I can confirm the Board of Management have appealed for additional funding to be provided for the project. This appeal is currently under consideration and a decision will be conveyed to the Board as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (5 Nov 2008)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Redress Board's primary function is to provide financial redress to persons who, as children, were abused while resident in Industrial Schools, Reformatories or other institutions that were subject to State regulation or inspection. The closing date for receipt of applications was the 15th December 2005 by which time the Board had received 14,513 applications. The Board has received a...