Results 4,381-4,400 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I understand, following advice from the Chief State Solicitor's office, that the school referred to by the Deputy was vested in the diocese, in named trustees, during the years in question.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is included among the prescribed authorities to which local authorities are statutorily obliged to send draft development plans or proposed variations to development plans for comment. As a matter of course, meetings are arranged with local authorities to establish the location, scale and pace of any major proposed developments, and sites are reserved, where necessary, to ensure...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The recommendations in the area development plans will form a vital framework in which future decisions about school planning in this area will be made. Progress on individual recommendations will be considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme from 2006 onwards subject to the prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. When the current pilot...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level schools to enable them to cater for students with special educational needs transferring from primary level. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. As the Deputy is aware enormous progress has been made in the past...

Written Answers — Public Transport: Public Transport (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Given the volume of engagements that I undertake as Minister and my desire to fit as many events as possible into my diary it is not often possible to use the train. For example, I was in four different counties on official business last Friday alone. However, when I am in Dublin I try to use the DART to travel to Leinster House for Dáil sittings as often as I can.

Written Answers — National Spatial Strategy: National Spatial Strategy (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the new school planning model involving published area development plans is being piloted by my Department in five different areas. An area development plan sets out a blueprint for the development of educational infrastructure. A draft development plan for an area is first produced containing details of existing primary and post primary provision; the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 Nov 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. My officials have been advised by the NCSE that no application for SEN supports for the pupil referred to by the Deputy has been made to the...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The most recent data available on officers in my Department who have a disability indicate that the percentage of such officers is 3.03% of staff. The guidelines followed for the collection of this information is set out in the Code of Practice for the Civil Service, 1994. Figures are not available in respect of the number of people with disabilities employed in bodies under the aegis of my...

Written Answers — Schools Catchment Areas: Schools Catchment Areas (15 Nov 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 — Community Colleges: Community Colleges (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The schools referred to by the Deputy are two of three post-primary schools serving the needs of the area in question, two of which are voluntary schools and one a vocational school under the aegis of the vocational education committee. On foot of an application for capital investment in the two school mentioned, officials in my Department carried out an examination of all relevant factors...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Since the start of the 2003-04 academic year, vocational education committees, VECs, have referred qualifications to my Department for assessment in the case of 544 proposedappointments. Of these, 100 were deemed suitable for the purpose of appointment to the teaching post as advertised, 187 were deemed unsuitable, further information has been sought in 186 cases and 71 cases are currently...

Written Answers — Weight of Schoolbags: Weight of Schoolbags (15 Nov 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 — North-South Co-operation: North-South Co-operation (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is involved in North-South work at primary, post-primary and third level across a very wide area of activity including school exchange, joint school projects, Irish language, youth exchange and information technology. There is a wide-ranging collaboration at departmental, education professional, institutional, local education and organisational level both prior to the Good...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I have decided to commission an area development plan for Limerick city and its environs. This will cover educational provision in the city and surrounding area, factoring in the existing education provision in Shannon, Askeaton, Pallaskenry, Croom and Newport. This process ensures that issues regarding school provision and enrolments are decided only after a transparent consultation process...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by applying the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year to a staffing schedule, which is issued annually to all primary schools. The staffing of the school referred to by the Deputy is a principal and 27 mainstream class teachers based on an enrolment of 766 pupils on 30 September 2004. The school also has...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has made an application for capital funding towards the provision of additional classroom and ancillary accommodation. The project is being considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation Programme 2005-2009.

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 573 to 575, inclusive, together. My Department's approach to tackling disadvantage has been refined in more recent initiatives to ensure that individual 'at risk' pupils are targeted. Rather than the old method of designating schools as disadvantaged, we now provide supports that are commensurate with the levels of concentration in schools of pupils with...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that contracts for the transfer of the site for the project in question have been signed. In order for this transaction to formally close, the agreement of the Commissioners of Charitable Donations and Bequests is required. It is the responsibility of the vendor to refer the transfer contracts to the commissioners. Accordingly, confirmation from the vendor's...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The acquisition of additional land required to facilitate the development of the school in question is almost finalised. Officials are also finalising the long-term enrolments and projected staffing at the school which will inform the decision on the extent of accommodation to be provided. Once this is agreed with the school authority, a decision will be made on how best to provide the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (15 Nov 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has temporary recognition. Schools with this status are not entitled to capital funding. This includes minor works grant aid which is paid from my Department's overall capital allocation. A payment was previously made to the school in question under the minor works grant scheme. However, given the status of the school, this was made in error. My...