Results 4,601-4,620 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Feb 2009)

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 Staffing: School Staffing (18 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I have consistently said that 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...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (18 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The following is a list of bodies under the aegis of my Department that were classified as a "regulatory body" in the report entitled "Bodies in Ireland with Regulatory Powers" which was produced in 2007. A "regulatory body" is defined as one that has functions in at least two of the following three areas of activities: The formulation of goals; the making of rules and/or the setting of...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision to approve job-sharing and career-break applications is a matter for the authorities of the employing school. In the case of schools that have over-quota teachers, vacancies do not arise as a result of teachers approved for job-sharing or career break. This position is no different from that pertaining in previous years. In these schools that have over-quota teachers,...

Written Answers — Qualifications Recognition: Qualifications Recognition (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Qualifications Authority was set up in February 2001, under the Qualifications (Education and Training) Act 1999, and has therefore been in operation for 8 years. During that time the Authority has developed a national framework of qualifications governing all awards in the State from basic education to post doctoral level across the education and training sectors, together...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware of the Government's commitment to ensuring that all children with special educational needs, including those with autism, can have access to an education appropriate to their needs preferably in school settings through the primary and post primary school network. This facilitates access to individualised education programmes, fully qualified professional teachers,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 252, 258, 261 and 262 together. The Deputies will be aware that all primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs including mild general learning disability (MGLD). All primary schools were given these additional teaching resources under the General Allocation...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Teacher allocations to all second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. In accordance with these rules each school management authority is required to organise its subject options within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The deployment of teaching staff in the school, the range of subjects...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the deputy that all primary schools have been allocated additional teaching resources to enable them support pupils with high incidence special educational needs including mild general learning disability (MGLD). All primary schools were given these additional teaching resources under the General Allocation Model of learning support/resource teaching introduced in 2005....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to St. Patrick's National School, Kilmaine, Co. Mayo, and the partial surrender of a portion of the school site for the establishment of a playschool. My Department is in ongoing consultation with the solicitors in relation to the matter and has recently written to them requesting additional information with a view to bringing the matter to a...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Inspectorate of my Department conducted a Whole School Evaluation of the school in question in January 2008. The recommendation of the evaluation was that the current 'pre first year class' or 'four-year junior cycle' that was being offered at the school should be phased out and that the school should embark on a three-year junior cycle programme, as required by Section 21(1)(a) of the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Feb 2009)

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 (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. Applications for SNAs may be considered by the NCSE where a pupil has a significant medical need for such...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: During the past week, my Department has been formally advised by the school concerned that their Board of Management has decided to seek a Judicial Review of the decision of the Section 29 Appeal Committee in this case to uphold an appeal against a refused enrolment. At this point, it is not possible to say how long it might take to complete the Judicial Review. Home Tuition support is...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: At Executive Officer level, there no vacancies in my Department's offices in Athlone and 1.5 Executive Officer vacancies in my Department's offices in Tullamore on 31 January 2009. Due to pressures on the staff payroll budget, my Department has had to implement a number of measures to ensure that expenditure on staff payroll comes within budget in 2009. These measures include the holding...

Written Answers — Departmental Schemes: Departmental Schemes (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of the provisions of Section 7 of the Finance (No.2) Act 2008 which introduced an exemption from an income tax charge under section 118 of the Taxes Consolidation Act 1997 in respect of a benefit in the form of a bicycle or associated safety equipment provided to a director or employee by his or her employer, where the bicycle/associated safety equipment is used by the employee or...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a project for a new 16 classroom building for the school to which he refers is included among the list of major school building projects which I announced on the 12 of February last for the appointment of a Design Team. My officials will shortly be contacting each school on the list about the next steps to be taken. No decision has yet been taken on the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The construction of the first phase of the primary school to which the Deputy refers commenced in January 2009. It is a two storey building comprising 8 classrooms, 3 special education tuition rooms, an Administration/General Office, a Teacher/Staff room and ancillary space with associated site works including car parking spaces and play areas. The principal contractor is ABM Construction....

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As a result of the 2009 Budget provisions for Education, arising from current economic challenges and following subsequent proposals from the management bodies of primary schools, new arrangements are being put into place for substitution cover for uncertified sick leave for teachers in primary schools. In primary schools there will be substitute cover for teachers on uncertified sick leave...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 267 and 268 together. The building project for the school to which the Deputies refer is at Stage 2 (a) of the architectural planning process, which is the Developed Sketch Scheme stage. Design Team Fees will be paid when the Stage submission has been approved by my Department. Thereafter, further progression of the project will be considered in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage 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...