Results 3,641-3,660 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department will be advising individual schools in the normal way in relation to their staffing allocations. The preparatory work for this has commenced with the processing of enrolment data that has been received from schools. The staffing allocation processes including notification to schools will commence early in the New Year. The allocation process includes appellate mechanisms under...
- Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 179 to 181, inclusive, together. I refer to the recent High Court judgment given in the case of JD -v- The Residential Institutions Redress Review Committee, Ireland and the Attorney General. I wish to advise the Deputy that the content of the judgment, together with its implications, is currently being considered by my Department in conjunction with its...
- Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of the Indemnity Agreement reached with the Religious Congregations on 5th June 2002, the Congregations agreed to make a contribution of â¬128 million towards the cost of the Redress Scheme. This sum was broken down as follows: Property Transfers â¬76.86m; Cash Contribution â¬41.14m; Provision of Counselling Services â¬10m. In actual terms, whilst the overall figure of...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, 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 details supplied...
- Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and the Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Programme: Schools Building Programme (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is examining the feasibility of grouping a number of schools including Ballinamore Community School in the 3rd Bundle of school projects to be procured via Public Private Partnership. This examination is nearing completion and I will be making an announcement about the matter as quickly as possible.
- Written Answers — Schools Building Programme: Schools Building Programme (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The major project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all major building projects, including this project, through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the capital budget of...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As I stated in my reply of 4 November last, a Cost Neutral Early Retirement Scheme is currently in operation for teachers. Circular Letter PEN 07/05 sets out the full conditions of the scheme. A teacher may apply for cost neutral early retirement by completing an application form, available from my Department, and returning it, through the teacher's school, to my Department.
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (25 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 details...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: As part of the expansion of the Small Schools Scheme, a grant was allocated to Croghan NS, to enable the management authority to build a new three classroom school. Additional funding was provided for unavoidable extra costs relating to planning conditions and ground works. The scheme is not intended to leave schools with significant fundraising needs, rather the terms of the Scheme require...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The assessment of means under my Department's Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes is based on gross income from all sources, with specified social welfare and health service executive payments being excluded from the calculation. A P21 is a statement of total income, tax credit and tax paid for a particular tax year. The Deputy will be aware that through the Revenue On-line...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (25 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. The various impacts at school level were included in the...
- Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 528 and 529 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. The...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 530 and 531 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. The...
- Written Answers — Home-School Liaison: Home-School Liaison (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has not issued guidelines to schools on this matter and it is not an issue that has been raised as causing particular difficulty in schools. In general, it is my Department's view that both parents should be encouraged to take an active interest in their children's education and it is to the benefit of the children and the school when they do. It is appreciated that practical...
- Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The following measures were taken by my Department as part of the Government's programme for the rationalisation of agencies. The National Qualifications Authority of Ireland (NQAI), the Higher Education and Training Awards Council (HETAC) and the Further Education and Training Awards Council (FETAC) will be amalgamated into a single agency. It is difficult to quantify savings until more...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (25 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. The various impacts at school level were included in the...
- Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level for 2009 and onwards. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and capacity of existing schools to meet...
- Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and the Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. The Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (25 Nov 2008)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension project. The project is at the early stages of architectural planning. The progression of all major building projects, including this project, from initial design through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School Building...