Results 4,781-4,800 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Industrial Disputes. (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Deputy Ned O'Keeffe for his comments. I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment. I should put on record the fact that the Minister does not have a direct role in the resolution of this or similar disputes. I can, however, understand Deputy Ned O'Keeffe's concerns about the restructuring proposals at the Dairygold...

Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I thank Deputy O'Sullivan for raising this matter. Every Member of the House will share the concern that anybody is sleeping outside Leinster House as a protest on these terrible evenings. It is not easy to resolve the issue, unfortunately. If it had been, it would have been done long ago. A number of people, including myself, spoke to Marie Therese and I explained the situation to her. The...

Residential Institutions Redress Scheme. (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The reality is there probably was no responsibility. People today still highlight the fact that there are not sufficient inspection facilities and they are talking about 50 years later. It was a different time. I assure the House if there was evidence of the State having placed people in these institutions or of having an inspection role, I would have liked and wanted to have them included in...

Schools Building Projects. (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Teachtaí as ucht an ábhair seo a ardú. Molaim an Teachta Stanton as an Ghaeilge atá aige a úsáid. Má leanann sé ar aghaidh ag úsáid a chuid Gaeilge, tiocfaidh feabhas air, mar tá neart Gaeilge aige. The school in question is hugely successful as was outlined by the Deputies, having been granted permanent recognition in 2001 following...

Schools Building Projects. (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: There are also legal issues to be explored and addressed with regard to the ultimate ownership of such a site. If this goes ahead as indicated, who would own the site and the building? Those issues must be sorted out. I assure Deputies Stanton and O'Keeffe that my Department is committed to working closely with the school authorities and would welcome an opportunity to achieve a permanent...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The person in question wishes to make an application to the Residential Institutions Redress Board regarding alleged abuse at a particular institution which is not included in the Schedule to the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002. Section 4 provides that additions to the Schedule may be considered subject to it being established that the relevant institution was under inspection or...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The transport liaison officer in each county will have a copy of the catchment boundary map for their respective counties. I will arrange to have a map for Wexford forwarded to the Deputy.

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Pursuit of the proposed amalgamation by the trustees-patron of the schools to which the Deputy refers is a relatively recent development. Notwithstanding this, my Department has progressed matters to the point where an accommodation solution can be established. As previously indicated, as a matter of course in amalgamation scenarios, technical inspections are carried out on existing buildings...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The patron of the schools referred to by the Deputy has advised my Department of the agreement to amalgamate the two schools. The provision of a new school building on a new site to house the amalgamated school has been sought. As the Deputy will appreciate, in the interest of obtaining best value for money, my Department must give due consideration to the possibility of utilising one of the...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The schools referred to by the Deputy have made an application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school on a new site being provided by the parish to facilitate amalgamation. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria which were revised last year following consultation with the education partners. The project is being considered...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The current and future accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy are under consideration by my Department. The long-term projected staffing, on which the schools future accommodation needs will be based, is being examined. This entails consideration of population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and any...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The need for a new school building at the school referred to by the Deputy is acknowledged by my Department. A suitable site has been identified by the Office of Public Works which acts on behalf of my Department on site acquisitions. Acquisition of the site is under way and progressing satisfactorily. The building project will be progressed in the context of the school building and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: The school in question was listed in my announcement of April this year as a project to commence architectural planning in 2005. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that the design team has been appointed and architectural planning has commenced. The architectural design process will need to become more advanced before the project can be considered for progression to construction. However,...

Written Answers — National College of Art and Design: National College of Art and Design (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 426 and 427 together. The National College of Art and Design is examining how its future accommodation needs may be addressed. As part of this examination, the college is considering with UCD the feasibility of options pertaining to the Belfield site. This is merely an evaluation of options and does not assume a decision, which would have to take account of a...

Written Answers — Non-National Minors: Non-National Minors (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: Unaccompanied non-national minors are referred by the immigration authorities on arrival to this country to the relevant Health Service Executive personnel who respond to their needs in accordance with the Child Care Act 1991 and the Refugee Act 1996. They remain in the care of the HSE until they reach 18 years of age. My Department does not have access to statistics relating to the ages of...

Written Answers — Grangegorman Development Agency: Grangegorman Development Agency (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I have allocated a sum of €1 million in my Department's 2006 Estimates to facilitate the establishment and operation of the Grangegorman Development Agency. Grangegorman is a unique site and is of strategic importance in the context of Dublin as a whole and to the north inner city in particular. The Grangegorman Development Agency Act 2005 makes provision for the establishment of an agency...

Written Answers — Departmental Reports: Departmental Reports (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: This Government is strongly committed to improving participation and achievement at every level of education. We have put the resources and supports in place to ensure there is a wide range of course options available in the further and higher education sectors for young people who wish to continue their studies after second level and for people returning to education later in life....

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: It is understood from Bus Éireann, which organises the school transport services on behalf of my Department, that the child referred to in the details supplied resides 0.96 kilometres from the school in question. The child is ineligible on distance grounds for transport under the terms of the primary school transport scheme. The school organises transport for members of the Traveller...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 432, 433 and 436 together. The assessment of needs of, and the provision of services for, children with autistic spectrum disorder, ASD, require a collaborative approach between education and health services. To this end, I understand from the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, that a meeting is to take place shortly between NEPS and the Health...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Dec 2005)

Mary Hanafin: There are enough spare places in the existing second level schools in the vicinity of Shankill to accommodate all students from Shankill for the foreseeable future. The schools in Bray, Loughlinstown and Cabinteely are just a short bus journey from Shankill on the 7, 45, 45A and 84 bus routes. Many students from Shankill walk or cycle to these schools also. The all-girls' schools in Rockford...