Results 5,301-5,320 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department recently received a further report from the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, on the application in question. This is being considered and my officials will revert to the NCSE if further information is required. My officials will notify all relevant parties when a decision on the application has been made. I am most anxious that all children, including children with...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream teacher allocation of all primary schools, including one-teacher schools, is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The staffing schedule is outlined in a circular which is issued annually to all primary schools. In addition, such schools may be eligible for additional teacher or special needs assistant allocations in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The school in question was listed in my announcement of April 2005 as a project to progress through architectural planning up to pre-tender stage, that is, up to and including advanced architectural planning. To bring this project to the required stage, my Department's officials have...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is in receipt of the correspondence to which he refers and a reply is in the process of issuing. The school in question is operating with temporary recognition from my Department. At the time temporary recognition was granted, the patron body was notified in writing of the terms and conditions underpinning the grant of recognition. In this regard, it was specifically stated that...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers submitted an application for grant aid under the summer works scheme 2006, SWS, to upgrade the mechanical works in the school. However, as the Deputy may be aware, plans to provide a brand new state of the art building for the school in question are currently in architectural planning. In such circumstances, it is my Department's policy not to invest...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The school in question was listed in my announcement of April 2005 as a project to progress through architectural planning up to pre-tender stage, that is, up to and including advanced architectural planning. My Department's officials have requested and received from the design team,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The project at the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria, which were revised following consultation with the education partners. Progress on the project is being considered in the context of the school building programme from 2006 onwards.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act, individual school authorities are responsible in the first instance for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care. Provision is built into the annual school building programme to enable schools to address urgent health and safety issues as identified by the school authority by way of an annual...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Section 4 of the Residential Institutions Redress Act 2002 provides that for an institution to be considered for inclusion in the Schedule to the Act, it must be an industrial school, a reformatory school, an orphanage, a children's home, a special school for children with a physical or intellectual disability or a hospital providing medical or psychiatric services to people with a physical...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that in general it is parental choice that determines whether a child who is deaf goes to a special school or to a mainstream school with support. My Department supports the child whatever option is taken up by the parent. The policy is to have a range of provision available. Issues such as the following assist the parent in making an informed choice: the age and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As I advised the Deputy on 25 January last, the school wrote directly to my office concerning the matters now being raised and I furnished a comprehensive response to the school recently. My letter contained advice to the school as to how it could address the specific issues. It is open to the school to contact my officials should they require further assistance. The provision of therapy...

Written Answers — Education Schemes: Education Schemes (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds three means-tested maintenance grant schemes for third level education students in respect of attendance on approved courses in approved third level institutions and one maintenance grant scheme in respect of students attending approved post-leaving certificate courses in approved PLC centres. These include the higher education grants scheme; the vocational education...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that works on the schools in question were included in the recent announcement of 62 schools for which design teams will be appointed under the 2006 capital programme. The timing of the amalgamation and the relocation of the schools is dependent on the rate of progress on the refurbishment project and, in particular, the timing of its completion. The nature...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the higher education grants scheme which is administered by the local authorities on behalf of my Department, the position is that, generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to residence, means, nationality and previous academic attainment. The candidate's...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application for funding for works at the school referred to by the Deputy has not been received in my Department. Accordingly, I arranged that an application form issue to the school for completion and return. As soon as the completed application form is returned the matter will be considered and the outcome will be notified to the school authorities without delay.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The decision on eligibility for maintenance grants is a matter for the relevant 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 desired. Under the terms of my Department's four student maintenance grant schemes, grants are...

Written Answers — Home-School Liaison Scheme: Home-School Liaison Scheme (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 514 and 522 together. The cost of providing home tuition for children with autism who are attending school is estimated at €1 million euro annually. As the Deputy may be aware, the home tuition scheme is primarily intended to provide compensatory instruction for pupils who have a medical ailment that is likely to cause major disruption to their attendance at...

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Further to Parliamentary Question No. 532 of 31 January 2006, information is provided in the appendix in regard to the inspection of Irish in 152 post-primary schools during the calendar years 2004 and 2005. This updated figure takes account of a number of inspections of Irish, in the period 1 January 2004 to 30 June 2004, which had not previously been included. Apart from the 75 schools...

Written Answers — School Inspections: School Inspections (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I signed the Education Act 1998 (Publication of Inspection Reports on Schools and Centres for Education) Regulations 2006 and placed these regulations before the Oireachtas last week. The document entitled Publication of School Inspection Reports: Guidelines, 30 January 2006, is available on my Department's website at www.education.ie. The guidelines state that publication procedures will...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (7 Feb 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the spouses' and children's scheme introduced for male teachers in 1969, and extended to female teachers in 1981, a refund of contributions is made to a teacher who is single at the time of retirement. A full refund is made where the teacher has never been married; a partial refund is made where the teacher's spouse is already deceased. When such contributions are repaid, 20% of the...