Results 5,121-5,140 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Drug and Alcohol Education: Drug and Alcohol Education (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Prior to September 2000 'On My Own Two Feet' was a stand alone Substance Abuse Prevention Programme, since then it has been subsumed as one of 10 modules in Social Personal and Health Education (SPHE). It is not possible to separate how much funding has been spent on this module of the SPHE curriculum but I can inform the Deputy that since 2006 my Department has provided funding of almost...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The arrangements for the payment of maintenance grants and the student service charge under the Higher Education Grants Scheme are a matter for the local authorities, which are statutorily entrusted with the administration of the Scheme under the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Act, 1968.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (25 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the school to which he refers was included in my announcement on 12th February of forty three major school building projects which are to progress to tender and construction this year. The project involves the construction of a new 16 classroom school. I am pleased be able to inform the Deputy that planning permission was granted for the project by Kildare...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school's application for Major Capital Grant Aid has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria, and has been assigned a Band rating of 2.1. The Department approved funding for the purchase of an 80 sq m classroom for the school on its existing site in 2007. Emergency funding was granted to the school in December 2008 for ceiling repairs. The Department is aware of the...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school's application for Major Capital Grant Aid has been assessed in accordance with the prioritisation criteria, and has been assigned a Band rating of 2.4. 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The major capital project for the School to which the Deputy refers has been assigned the highest priority band rating of 1. A design team has been appointed and the project is currently at Stage 1 — preliminary design and sketch scheme. The project will be allowed to proceed up to Stage 2a i.e. developed sketch scheme. The progression of all large scale building projects from initial...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has been aware of a need for further post primary provision in the Dublin 15 area and in that context, I sanctioned the establishment of a new post primary school for the area last year. The new school will be called Luttrellstown Community College and the Patron is County Dublin VEC. My Department is working closely with Co. Dublin VEC to open the new school in September 2009...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Mar 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...

Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: A Notification of Intention to apply for recognition of a new primary school in the Tallaght/Firhouse area has been received from the Patron Body for Educate Together. I have recently announced a review of the procedures for the establishment of new primary schools under the Commission on School Accommodation. It is expected that the review of procedures for recognising primary schools will...

Written Answers — Schools Grants: Schools Grants (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I met with representatives of the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland on 10 March. This was a historic meeting and was the first time that members of the Orange Order had sent a delegation to discuss an educational issue within this state. I briefed the representatives on funding arrangements for Protestant schools and the background to the decision in the October budget to remove ancillary grants...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, individual Ministers do not borrow funds for projects. My Department operates within the funding voted to it by the Oireachtas. The borrowing of exchequer funds is managed by the Minister for Finance and the National Treasury Management Agency.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The statutory framework for the maintenance grants scheme, as set out in the Local Authorities (Higher Education Grants) Acts, 1969 to 1992, provides for means-tested higher education grants in order to assist students to attend full-time third level education. Clause 1, 1.1 of the Higher Education Grants Scheme defines an approved course as a full-time undergraduate course of not less than...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Applications submitted for the deferred Summer Works Scheme in 2008, including one from the school in question, are currently being assessed for summer 2009 and the school authority will be notified of the outcome of this assessment in due course.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is of the view that it is necessary to transfer a portion of land from the Community School to the neighbouring gaelscoil for a school building project. To this end my officials have liaised with the CSSO on the matter. My Department will be formally seeking the views of the Community School Trustees to the proposal before formally instructing the CSSO to execute the transfer.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to confirm that my Department has recently provided funds to the Galway City Vocational Education Committee to enable them to close the sale on the site for the school mentioned by the Deputy. This school is included in my Department's PPP school building programme and the make up and timing of further school bundles from this programme will be determined by my Department in...

Written Answers — Official Languages: Official Languages (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 425 and 426 together. As the Deputy will be aware, Section 2 of the Official Languages Act 2003 states that "the official languages" of the State are (a) the Irish language (being the national language and the first official language) and (b) the English language (being a second official language) as specified in Article 8 of the Constitution. I wish to...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 427, 526 and 527 together. I do not accept the assertion by the Deputy that fee-paying Protestant schools are facing closure, either in the short or longer term, as a result of the decision to withdraw the school services support grant in last October's budget. I have met with representatives of both the Church of Ireland Board of Education and the Grand...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has applied to my Department for an extension project which includes accommodation for a special needs unit. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 1 rating which is the highest Band rating possible. The progression of all...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers commenced operation in September 2002 with provisional recognition from my Department on the basis that it would be providing multi-denominational education in the Clontarf/Marino/Fairview area of Dublin. Its current location in Glasnevin, which already has provision for multi-denominational education, was intended to be a purely temporary measure. It is...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (31 Mar 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Two companies provide the full-time services of individuals to my Department. The companies are Bearing Point and Version 1, each of which supplies the services of two full-time individuals to provide software development resources as required by my Department. I will revert to the Deputy as soon as possible with the relevant information in respect of bodies under the aegis of my Department.