Results 3,641-3,660 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Education and Science originally planned to provide an eight classroom school in Wicklow town for the gaelscoil in question. A site to accommodate this was subsequently purchased and the building project was allowed to progress into architectural planning. However, due to changing demographics, enrolments in the school increased to a level where it is now considered that a...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the research carried out for the Association of Higher Education Access and Disability. There is a range of support services for students with a disability in the institute of technology sector. These include dedicated access or disability personnel; learning support services, including needs assessment and support for students with learning difficulties; assistive technology...

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

Mary Hanafin: The major focus for the Department of Education and Science is the roll-out of broadband connectivity to all recognised schools. This project is being undertaken in partnership with industry, following the establishment of a three year €18 million joint Government — IBEC-TIF, Telecommunications and Internet Federation Fund to fund local connectivity at school level. The broadband...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Ensuring the protection, health and welfare of children is a key concern for the Government, parentsand agencies that work with children and society generally. The Government is determined to do all that it can to keep our children and vulnerable adults safe. The Minister of State at the Department of Education and Science, Deputy Brian Lenihan, has announced a doubling of the number of staff...

Written Answers — Standardised Testing: Standardised Testing (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The introduction of standardised testing on a systematic basis has great potential to improve the quality of teaching and learning in schools. I welcome the advice of the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, NCCA, that all pupils should take standardised tests in literacy and numeracy at the end of first class or the beginning of second class, and at the end of fourth class or the...

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

Mary Hanafin: Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post-primary education in the late 1960s and were determined following consultation with local educational interests. For planning purposes the country was divided into geographic districts each with several primary schools feeding into a post-primary centre with one or more post-primary schools. The intention was and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The most recent figures available in the Department of Education and Science refer to the 2004-05 school year, and indicate that, of the 1,357 teachers appointed for the first time as permanent or temporary qualified teachers at primary level, 144 were male. The relatively low levels of men in the primary teaching force, a feature common to all OECD countries, is an issue that is of concern...

Written Answers — Departmental Investigations: Departmental Investigations (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Following allegations of financial impropriety at Marino Institute of Education, I asked the accountancy firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers, to examine the use of moneys paid by the Department of Education and Science to the institute. The main findings of the review, published in early August, revealed there has been no misuse of the public moneys paid by the Department of Education and Science to...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Capital funding is being provided under the school building and modernisation programme 2005-2009 for the refurbishment of science laboratories undertaken as part of an overall refurbishment programme of second level schools, for the upgrading of science facilities exclusively or by provision of new facilities in the case of newly built or extended schools. Additionally, I have provided for...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Several networks of access and disability personnel already exist in the third level sector, such as the access made accessible network of all third level access officers and the disability advisers working network of disability officers in the sector. The National Office for Equity of Access to Higher Education has highlighted in its action plan of December 2004 the need for enhanced systems...

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

Mary Hanafin: The recent OECD report examines changes in expenditure since the mid-1990s. It shows that public expenditure on education, here, has increased substantially between 1995 and 2002 at all levels even when allowing for inflation. For example the same OECD report shows that total spending increased by 56% here compared to 28% on average across the OECD. Between 1997 and 2005, the overall budget...

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

Mary Hanafin: Boards of management are recognised under section 14 of the Education Act 1998. They also operate in accordance with the constitution of boards and rules of procedure, issued by the Department of Education and Science to assist boards in the effective governance of schools. In 2002-03, the Department reviewed the process whereby it supported a range of in-service activities, including board...

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

Mary Hanafin: There were some 39 recommendations in the report of the task force on the physical sciences, with costed proposals totalling €244 million extra, of which €66.3 million would be a recurring annual cost. Progress has been made on 25 of them. The Department of Education and Science continues to progress the recommendations of the task force on the physical sciences as resources permit in...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I accept as a matter of principle that income generated by higher education institutions from external sources should not be subject to off-setting in the allocation of Exchequer funding. This is in a context where the OECD review of Irish higher education recommended institutions should be incentivised to seek external sources of funding. However, in determining the income which it is...

Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 97, 406 and 448 together. The level of funding that the Department of Education and Science provides to Educate Together as a school management body is on a par with that provided to Foras Patrúnachta na Gaelscoileanna, the Church of Ireland Board of Education, the Islamic Board of Education and the National Association of Boards of Management in Special...

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

Mary Hanafin: The social, personal and health education programme and the school development planning initiative are two important mainstream national programmes of support for schools. Both play a central role in assisting schools in a co-ordinated and cohesive manner to deal with the problem of bullying. In recent years, several pilot programmes have also addressed this issue. Pilot programmes are...

Written Answers — Schools Evaluation: Schools Evaluation (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Recently I announced that reports arising from the inspection of schools and centres for education will be published. I have instructed the inspectorate of the Department of Education and Science to consult the education partners on how best this should be done. The ongoing consultation process began last month. I await the outcome of the consultations.

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (11 Oct 2005)

Mary Hanafin: At primary level, the recommended minimum time, excluding discretionary curriculum time for Irish as a second language is 3.5 hours per week or 2.5 hours per week where a short day is provided for the infant classes. At second level, the syllabi for senior cycle are designed around a recommended instruction time of 180 hours and those for the junior cycle 240 to 270 hours over the three years...

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

Mary Hanafin: In the education sector, vetting is available in respect of prospective employees of children detention schools as well as special needs assistants and bus escorts to children with special needs. Upon the entry into force of the Teaching Council Act 2001, the council will have a regulatory function in respect of the teaching profession. It will be under a statutory obligation to establish and...

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

Mary Hanafin: The report of the primary education committee contains several recommendations aimed at increasing the number of males entering primary teaching. The report is being considered by the relevant officials in the Department of Education and Science. The relatively low levels of men in the primary teaching force, a feature common to all OECD countries, is an issue that is of concern to me. It is...