Results 5,161-5,180 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Payment issued on 26 March 2009 to Mayo County Council in respect of the second recoupment for the Higher Education Grant.

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Officials from my Department's Regional Office Service met with a representative of the organisation referred to by the Deputy in January, 2005. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss the scope for that organisation and the state to co-operate on jointly-funded projects targeting children and youth in disadvantaged areas of Dublin, primarily Ballymun. Currently, my Department is...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The State Examinations Commission (SEC) 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. I have made enquiries with the Commission in relation to this matter and the current procedure is...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: At the outset I wish to clarify that there will be no pupil with a special educational need who will be without access to a special needs teacher as a result of the decision to apply the normal rules which govern the appointment and retention of teachers of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability. These special classes which are to close predate the 2005 General...

Written Answers — Departmental Bodies: Departmental Bodies (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Teaching Council Act 2001 provided for the Teaching Council to be funded by my Department for 2 years after the establishment day, which was 28th March 2006. The funding provided by my Department is set out below. 2006 €2.991m; 2007 €3.082m; 2008 €0.849m. The Teaching Council became a self-funding body from 28 March 2008. The Council raises its funding from, in the main part,...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has introduced a number of measures in recent years aimed at easing the administrative workload of schools. School principals, in particular, play a key role in the successful operation of schools and specific initiatives have been introduced that give more time for school principals to concentrate on the management aspects of their role. The scheme of release time enables...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department is not actively pursuing a site for the school in question.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of the Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level for 2009 and onwards. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and capacity of existing schools to...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is currently in discussion with South Dublin County Council regarding suitable site options for the school to which the Deputy refers. The acquisition of a suitable site and the proposed long-term building project for the school will be considered in the context of the capital budget available to my Department for the multi-annual school building and modernisation programme. My...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, it is my Department's intention to provide the school in question with a new building. In this regard, agreement has been reached to provide the new building on a VEC-owned site. As the Deputy will also be aware, in February 2009, I announced details of 43 major building projects to proceed to tender and construction and 25 high priority projects to commence...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers is one of 10 projects announced in January to be re-tendered with a view to going to construction as soon as possible. For this project to go to construction it needs to be re-tendered under the new Department of Finance form of contract for public capital projects. My Department has been in contact with the school authority in this regard.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the school to which he refers was included in my announcement on 12 February of forty three major school building projects which are to progress to tender and construction this year. Representatives from the board of management and the school's design team attended a briefing in my Department's offices in Tullamore on the 5 March at which they were appraised of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 170 and 171 together. The two post primary school projects at the locations in Counties Leitrim and Westmeath referred to by the Deputy are included in the list of seven schools which I have approved for inclusion in the 3rd Bundle of schools to be procured via Public Private Partnership. This bundle is in the pre-procurement stage and my Department has...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has a rolling programme of school building and modernisation projects. As is usual with the school building programme, not all of the funds will be contractually committed at the outset of the year, as contracts are only signed with contractors when projects are ready to go on site. However, substantial funding, not strictly defined as contractual commitments at this stage,...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for student grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority — i.e. the Local Authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is required. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The proposed extension/refurbishment project at 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, is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under my Department's capital budget. The project...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the Deputy's question relates to the number of building projects planned for new schools which are starting for the first time in September 2009. In this regard, my Department plans to recognise two new post-primary start-up schools in 2009 in the North Dublin area. One of these schools, Ardgillan Community College, Balbriggan, will be accommodated in a new school building...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Forward Planning Section of the Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level for 2009 and onwards. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic trends, current and projected enrolments, recent and planned housing developments and capacity of existing schools to meet...

Written Answers — Departmental Committees: Departmental Committees (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, I have recently announced a review of the procedures for the establishment of new primary schools. The term of office of the New Schools Advisory Committee (NSAC), which was set up to assess all applications for new primary schools, expired in August, 2008. The terms of reference of the committee were originally drafted in 1998. Given the rapid growth in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (1 Apr 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for capital funding for a large scale project which has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria of my Department and assigned a Band rating of 2.1. This project is currently awaiting approval to appoint a design team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project,...