Results 5,661-5,680 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of identifying the areas where significant additional accommodation will be required at primary and post-primary level for future school years. 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 — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy has introduced the issue of comparability of Irish pupil-teacher ratios with the position in schools internationally. Given the momentous challenges that most countries are facing to cope with economic recession, and in the case of some countries to even maintain financial solvency, raising the matter of educational comparisons misses the point. The first priority for Governments...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (14 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for large scale capital funding for the provision of a PE Hall in 1998. All applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria which were formulated following consultation with the Education Partners. Under the criteria, each project is assigned a Band Rating which reflects the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (14 May 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 (SNAs) to schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Applications for SNAs may be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 May 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 and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations. I can inform the Deputy that the Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 May 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. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have the names...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Details of the schools whose applications were unsuccessful under the current Summer Works Scheme are contained in the table. Unsuccessful applications fall into two categories: invalid applications; and unapproved applications. Applications are deemed invalid where schools do not submit an application consistent with the terms of the Scheme. Most commonly, schools apply for works which are...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Details of the service and professional requirements for probation of primary teachers are outlined in my Department's Circular 0140/2006 which is available on my Department's website. Schools are advised in June each year to notify the Department of teachers who may be eligible for probation. A series of dates is nominated for submission of applications: round 1 by the end of June; round 2...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information which the Deputy has requested is not yet available. The analysis of all the returns from schools has yet to be completed and the final outcome will be published later in the summer.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 407 to 412, inclusive, together. Details of the number of applications for retirement received for primary, secondary, community and comprehensive school teachers retiring at the end of the 2008/09 school year are set out in the table below. Verification of actual teaching service is not completed until much closer to the actual retirement date so it is not...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 413 and 414 together. Five State funded Colleges of Education offer the Bachelor of Education. Hibernia College, a private on-line college, and four of the State funded Colleges of Education offer an eighteen month post graduate course. The estimated numbers of graduates from each college in 2009 are detailed in the following table. Estimated Graduates June...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Section 27 of the Education Act, 1998 requires Boards of Management of schools to establish and maintain procedures for the purposes of informing students in a school of the activities of the school. The procedures established and maintained for this purpose shall facilitate the involvement of the students in the operation of the school, having regard to the age and experience of the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Section 23 of the Education Welfare Act 2000 requires all schools to have in place a Code of Behaviour. My Department further requires each school to have in place a policy which includes specific measures to deal with bullying behaviour, within the framework of its overall school Code of Behaviour and Discipline. Such a code, developed through consultation with the whole school community...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In view of the current budgetary constraints I am not in a position to provide the Deputy with a definite date for the acquisition of a site for this school. The further consideration of the proposed site acquisition and any subsequent building project for the school will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual school building and modernisation programme.

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The funding (including capital) being made available by my Department in 2009 for research and development activities amounts to some €150 million. This includes an allocation of over €90 million for the Programme for Research in Third Level Institutions (PRTLI) and will allow projects under Cycle 4 of the PRTLI to proceed as planned. The Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social...

Written Answers — Research Funding: Research Funding (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the Deputy is referring to the Technological Sector Research Programme, which provides funding for research activities in the Institutes of Technology and the Dublin Institute of Technology. The first of the three strands of this programme provides funding on a multi-annual basis for the training in research and development skills for graduates undertaking a Masters degree....

Written Answers — Higher Education Sector: Higher Education Sector (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware the Government recently announced that with effect from 27th March 2009 no public service post, however arising, may be filled by recruitment, promotion, or payment of an allowance for the performance of duties at a higher grade. In the area of Higher Education, an employment control framework is currently being developed, between my Department and the Department of...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (19 May 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 and determining procedures in places where examinations are conducted including the supervision of examinations. I can inform the Deputy that the Commission operates a scheme of Reasonable Accommodations in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In December 2008 I approved the inclusion of seven schools in the 3rd Bundle of projects to be procured via Public Private Partnership. This Bundle is in the pre-procurement stage. The process to be undertaken during pre-procurement includes the preparation of a detailed output specifications and Public Sector Benchmark, a detailed technical and legal assessment of each of the sites and...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 May 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that my Department has advised the school in question that the class may be retained in the school for the 2009/2010 school year. My Department has no plans at present to provide a permanent recognition for the class but will keep this matter under review in the coming school year.