Results 5,861-5,880 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 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 (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. SENOs also make recommendations to my Department where assistive technology is required. My Department has no...
- Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of my Departments Free Fees Initiative, the Exchequer meets the cost of tuition fees of eligible students who are attending approved undergraduate courses in the State. One of the main conditions of the scheme is that students must be first-time undergraduates. Therefore where a student already holds an undergraduate qualification, regardless of when obtained, they are not...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm to the Deputy that a letter dated 13th May from the Principal Teacher of the school in question relating to additional funding has been received in my Department. As part of the expansion of the Small Schools Scheme, a grant was sanctioned in March 2007 under the Permanent Accommodation Scheme to enable the management authority of the school to build 3 permanent classrooms....
- Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The application procedures for entry to third level undergraduate courses including the closing dates applicable to different classifications of applicant are determined by the individual third level institutions. While the initial CAO closing date is 1 February, late applications are accepted up to 1 May and 5,945 such applications were received this year, an increase of 51% on 2008. On 2...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports including special needs assistants. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have...
- Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is currently considering a number of broad policy issues relating to the recognition process for second level schools. To facilitate full consideration of all of the issues involved, my Department has sought legal advice from the Office of the Attorney General in relation to the system of patronage at second level. Officials from my Department have recently met with their...
- Written Answers — Third Level Charges: Third Level Charges (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The online application fee for post graduate courses varies between universities and is currently in the range of â¬35.00 to â¬37.50. In general the fee charged will cover applications for between 3 and 5 programmes of study within an individual institution. Applicant suitability for the majority of postgraduate courses is generally assessed on the applicants' own merits, and may include...
- Written Answers — School Maintenance: School Maintenance (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department has no record of an application for capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. Officials from my Department are contacting the school authority to discuss this matter further with them. I should point out that maintenance is a matter for the school authority. To assist primary schools with the maintenance of their buildings, my Department issues them with an...
- Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that the properties referred to are two of the properties included in the Indemnity Agreement. The cost to the State of the transfer of these properties are in the main legal costs and these costs are not met directly by the Department of Education and Science. Such costs are met by the Chief State Solicitor's Office (CSSO).
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: As I previously advised the Deputy, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports including the approval of special classes for autism. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Officials in my Department have met on a regular basis with the relevant groups in relation to the commitment in the current programme for Government to long-term funding for the centres that are in the ABA pilot scheme subject to agreement with my Department on standards that will enable them to be supported as primary schools for children with autism. I am pleased to advise that broad...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications from primary and post primary schools for special educational needs supports including special needs assistants. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. In this...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers has in fact been allocated an additional mainstream class post under the staffing schedule for the coming school year, 2009-2010. The Board of Management of the school was notified in this regard earlier this year. I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools and as a new feature on my Department's...
- Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware all primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA, whereby the school can have an assessment...
- Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The amount spent on taxis in 2007 and 2008 was â¬30,184.37 and â¬26,996.34 respectively. The total spent to date in 2009 is â¬8,453.54. Taxis used by my Department's officials are strictly for business purposes and staff are required to ensure that every effort is made to minimise the use of taxis. Expenditure on taxis by agencies under the aegis of my Department is a matter for the...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I am committed to providing information in relation to the allocation of teachers to schools and as a new feature on my Department's website. The process has begun with the provision earlier this year of initial information on the allocation of mainstream classroom teachers to primary schools under the revised schedule for 2009/10. In terms of the position at individual primary school level...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware a key focus and priority of my Department is to provide for resources in schools to support pupils with special educational needs, including those with dyslexia. For mainstream primary schools, this is done through the General Allocation Model. This model was introduced in September 2005 and ensures that mainstream primary schools have the additional teaching...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: My Department provides for a scheme of grants towards the purchase of equipment for the use of students in second-level schools who have been diagnosed as having serious physical and/or communicative disabilities of a degree which makes ordinary communication through speech and/or writing impossible for them. The purpose of the grant-aid is to provide such students with equipment of direct...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jun 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 (9 Jun 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...