Results 4,661-4,680 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As I informed the Deputy in response to his Parliamentary Question 485 on 17 February, 2009, the school to which he refers has applied to my Department for an extension project. I recently announced details of 43 major building projects to proceed to tender and construction and 25 high priority projects to commence architectural planning. The project in question was not included in this...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Interviews for an additional post in my Department's visiting teacher service for the visually impaired, to serve Co. Mayo, have been completed and the post offered to a successful candidate. A decision by the candidate to accept the post, or otherwise, is imminent. It is not possible at this time to say when work in the post will commence.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The building project for the school to which the Deputy refers is at an early 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...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 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 — FÁS Training Programmes: FÁS Training Programmes (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Institutes of Technology are working closely with FÁS to assist all apprentices complete the education phases of their training in a timely manner. In addition, my Department is working with FÁS, the Higher Education Authority and the Institutes of Technology to assist those who have been made redundant to complete their apprenticeships.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is my Department's intention to provide the school to which the Deputy refers with a new building. The project is awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. 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...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (24 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 — State Examinations: State Examinations (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The State Examinations Commission has statutory responsibility for operational matters relating to the certificate examinations, including organising the holding of examinations, making arrangements for the marking of work presented for examination and issuing the results of examinations. In view of this, I have forwarded the Deputy's query to the State Examinations Commission for direct...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 497 together. The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the names and addresses of each second level school in receipt of additional teaching resources for special educational needs and language support is being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Applications for the Summer Works Scheme are currently being assessed and schools will be notified of the outcome in due course. Minor Works Grants of around €27m were paid out to primary schools throughout the country for the 2008/2009 school year to enable thousands of small scale works to be completed without the need to interact with my Department. Individual primary schools received...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) established under, and governed according to the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 2001. Each VEC is a statutory body with its own corporate status. Financial allocations are made to the VECs as part of a block grant. VECs are given a high level of autonomy in the management and appropriation of their budgets and each VEC is allowed to...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: There are 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs) established under the Vocational Education Acts, 1930 to 2001. Each VEC is a statutory body with its own corporate status and a breakdown of the schools under the management of each VEC is attached for the Deputy's information. List of VEC schools for the 2008/2009 school year broken down by Vocational Education Committees VEC Name...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The responsibility for managing access to third level places rests with the Central Applications Office (CAO) and the third level institutions generally. The higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their first year undergraduate courses. However, the participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions. Neither...

Written Answers — Third Level Institutions: Third Level Institutions (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: University College Dublin is an autonomous institution. Day to day management of the University's affairs is a matter for the University's Governing Body. Accordingly, it is the responsibility of the Governing Body to utilise its assets as it deems appropriate to its needs cognisant of all competing priorities for funding and mindful of its statutory responsibilities under the Universities...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (24 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 — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (24 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, 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 (24 Feb 2009)

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, caterfor all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (24 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to inform the Deputy that an established civil servant may not be in receipt of a pension from the civil service, with the exception of that in respect of a deceased spouse and a civil service salary at the same time. However, an unestablished officer may be in receipt of a civil service pension and civil service salary at the same time, with pension abatement rules applying. I can...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (25 Feb 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: On foot of advice received from the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA), work is now underway for reform of Junior and Senior Cycle mathematics which is designed to provide for the phased implementation of syllabus change in maths. The Project Maths initiative is designed to encourage better understanding of maths, to reinforce the practical relevance of maths to everyday...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (25 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. SNAs are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with disabilities in an educational...