Results 3,621-3,640 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since its formal launch in December 2003, the aim of the National Educational Welfare Board has been to provide a service to the most disadvantaged areas and most at-risk groups. Five regional teams have been established with bases in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford and staff have been deployed in areas of greatest disadvantage and in areas designated under the Government's RAPID...

Written Answers — Medical Education: Medical Education (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 55 and 106 together. As the Deputy may be aware, a Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training recently completed a review of the organisation and delivery of medical training and education in Ireland. I am currently considering the broad range of recommendations made by the working group, in consultation with my colleague, the Tanáiste and...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Special need assistants employed in primary and second level schools have recently signed new contracts of employment with the managerial authorities of their schools. The new contract of employment was agreed following discussions between the representatives of the managerial authorities, union and my Department. The terms of the contract are outlined in the contract of employment form...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The education of students in both primary and post-primary schools in relation to anti-bullying behaviour is a central part of the social, personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum. SPHE is now a compulsory subject both at primary level and in the junior cycle of post-primary schools. The SPHE curriculum provides for the development of personal and social skills including...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds the provision of adult literacy, which is delivered, by the vocational education committees from the adult literacy and community education, ALCES, budget. This includes literacy to non-nationals. The national development plan committed €93.5 million to the service in the period 2000 to 2006, with a target of reaching 113,000 clients over that period. This target will be...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has urged school authorities to put in place book rental schemes, at both primary and post-primary level, to the greatest extent possible. To that end the school book for needy pupils grant scheme may be used by school authorities for the support of book loan-rental schemes. The 2005 allocation for the school book grant for needy pupils scheme at post-primary level is €7.018...

Written Answers — Early Childhood Education: Early Childhood Education (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Early education in Ireland covers the period from birth to six years. At present almost all five year olds and half of four year olds attend junior infant and senior infant classes in primary schools. Outside of junior classes in primary schools, my Department's main role in the area of early childhood education focuses on pre-school provision for children from disadvantaged areas, Traveller...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 62 and 94 together. The funding provided by my Department for community education under the adult literacy and community education budget, amounts to nearly €9 million in 2005. This is separate to the back to education initiative, 10% of which is reserved for the non-formal community education field. Community education is available to all. It refers to...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The first bundle of five post-primary PPP schools were delivered up to eight weeks ahead of schedule and within the price agreed. There was no cost overrun. One of the fundamental elements of PPPs is the incorporation of life cycle planning in the design, construction and costing of the project. My Department has, as a result of its PPP experience, included this element of design in...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Significant improvements have been made in the pupil-teacher ratio and in average class size in recent years at primary level. The most recent figure available for average class size at primary level refers to the 2003-04 school year, when the average class size was 23.9, down from 26.6 in 1996-97. The pupil-teacher ratio at primary level, which includes all teachers including resource...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied for a new school building. My Department acknowledges that there is no scope for the development of the existing site. Therefore, among the options being considered is the possibility of securing a greenfield site in the area where the school is located to provide a new building. The property management section of the Office of Public Works,...

Written Answers — Weight of Schoolbags: Weight of Schoolbags (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The report of a working group to examine potential problems caused by the weight of schoolbags, which was presented in July 1998, acknowledged that many of the solutions belong at local school level. One of the main recommendations of the report related to the need to heighten the awareness of the potential health hazards posed by excessively heavy schoolbags. In this regard, my Department...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 68 and 450 together. The complement of NEPS psychologists has increased almost three-fold from 43 psychologists on establishment to the current number of 124. Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment carried out by...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 69 and 93 together. There is no facility within the education system to measure the percentage of young people leaving post-primary schools with literacy difficulties. However, the results of PISA, the programme of international student assessment, provide detailed information on the standards of reading literacy among Irish 15-year-olds. In the second cycle...

Written Answers — International Reports: International Reports (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the international league table of universities compiled by Shangai Jiva Tong University. I understand this table represents a measurement based on items such as the number of Nobel prize winners, cited researchers and size of institution. While it is useful to benchmark the performance of Irish higher education institutions with international institutions, it is important to...

Written Answers — Student Councils: Student Councils (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Section 27(2) of the Education Act 1998 provides that procedures established and maintained by schools under section 27(1), for the purposes of informing students of the activities of the school, shall facilitate the involvement of students in the operation of the school in association with their parents and teachers. The Education Act also provides that post-primary schools should encourage...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: All recognised primary and post-primary schools are required to offer relationships and sexuality education, RSE. It is an integral part of the social, personal and health education, SPHE, curriculum at primary level and junior cycle post-primary level. In addition, all second level schools are required to have an agreed school policy and a suitable relationships and sexuality education...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Estimates of the incidence of dyslexia usually range from 1% to 4%, depending on the definition adopted. Precise information on the number of primary school children with dyslexia is not currently available. I wish to advise the Deputy that the provision of resources to address the learning difficulties of children with low levels of achievement in reading has been given a very high priority...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I have no plans for extending the free tuition fees schemes to include part-time students. Section 473A, Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 provides for tax relief on tuition fees, at the standard rate in respect of approved courses at approved colleges of higher education including certain approved undergraduate and postgraduate courses in EU and non-EU member states. The maximum level of...

Written Answers — Garda Vetting Procedures: Garda Vetting Procedures (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, parents, agencies that work with children and society generally and I can assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to do all that we can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. My colleague, the Minister with responsibility for children, Deputy Brian Lenihan, announced a doubling...