Results 5,901-5,920 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Traveller Education: Traveller Education (7 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 559, 560, 563 together. I expect to receive shortly a report on the recommendations for a five year Traveller education strategy. This report spans the full spectrum of lifelong learning from pre-school to adult and further education. It also emphasises the important role that Traveller parents have in their own education and that of their children. The report...

Written Answers — Teacher Training: Teacher Training (7 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I presume the Deputy is referring to the primary teacher training colleges funded by my Department. In that context, there are three different methods of providing funding to the five colleges of education, reflecting the historical context within which the colleges were established and developed over time. Coláiste Mhuire Marino and the Froebel College of Education are funded on a...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (7 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department appointed a consultant to progress this project and planning permission was applied for. The consultant has informed the school building section of my Department that he has received notification of decision to grant planning permission as issued by South Dublin County Council dated 27 February 2006. The consultant has been instructed to seek tenders for the works involved.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers opened with provisional recognition from the Department in September 2005. During the period of provisional recognition, it is the responsibility of the school patron to provide interim accommodation. This accommodation must be capable of fully meeting the needs of the developing school until permanent recognition has been secured and the Department is in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: On Monday 6 March 2005, a list of 75 schools which will receive funding this year under the Department's permanent accommodation scheme was published. The school to which the Deputy refers is included among these schools. The school building unit of the Department will be issuing instructions to the schools concerned as to how to proceed under this devolved scheme shortly.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school planning section of the Department has recently approved the rental of two resource rooms under the additional accommodation scheme to facilitate the child's placement in a special school. School management is currently making arrangements to procure this accommodation. Meanwhile, the National Council for Special Education, through the local special educational needs organiser, is...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. The school planning section of the Department is currently re-examining the schedules of accommodation that were agreed with the school authorities to ensure that level of accommodation being proposed will meet the long-term needs of the school. The project is...

Written Answers — Schools of Music: Schools of Music (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has recently received an application from County Wicklow Vocational Education Committee for an additional allocation of tuition hours for the purpose of supporting music in its area of responsibility. This application is under consideration at present and a decision will be notified to the committee in due course.

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The role of the educational disadvantage committee is to advise on policies and strategies to be adopted to identify and correct educational disadvantage. The Department has written to the education and social partners seeking their views on the composition and future work of the committee. When all of these have been received and considered, members will be appointed to the new committee as...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: All schools in County Clare have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, or the scheme for commissioning psychological assessments, SCPA, full details of which are available on my Department's website. The latest figures indicate that 50% of primary schools — 65% of pupils — and all post-primary schools in County...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: All post-primary schools in County Clare have access to a dedicated service from the National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS. The promotion of mental health in schools is one of the main objectives of NEPS. The NEPS psychologists working in County Clare work closely with the guidance counsellors and co-ordinators of social personal health education — SPHE — in the schools...

Written Answers — School Completion Programme: School Completion Programme (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Government is determined to do all that is possible to ensure that every child gets all the opportunities and support they need to enable them to complete his or her education. To this end, we are providing increased resources for schools in disadvantaged areas by offering extra educational supports and services. Measures designed to improve school completion include the establishment of...

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Broadening access to further and higher education is one of the Government's major policy priorities. As the Deputy will be aware the Government made a €42 million package available in 2003 which involved substantial increases in grant levels while extending the income thresholds and linking the amount of the top-up grant to the maximum personal rate of unemployment assistance. The impact...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Coláiste Mhuire Marino is responsible for holding the SCG examination in 2006. The examination will be held in a number of centres throughout the country in the week beginning 17 April. Full details are available from Coláiste Mhuire. Regarding course provision, I am pleased to inform the Deputy that a number of education centres throughout the country, which are directly funded by my...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As recently as 2001, I established a working group to review all aspects of the syllabus and examination for the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge (SCG). The review group drafted an interim examination syllabus which was circulated to all schools in December 2002. The SCG examinations held in October 2003 were the first series of SCG examinations to be based on this revised...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria which was revised last year following consultation with the education partners. The proposed project, including the acquisition of a site, is being considered for progression in the context of the school building and modernisation programme 2006-10.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of a new school has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. This application has been assessed in accordance the published prioritisation criteria. The property management section of the Office of Public Works is in the process of acquiring a site to facilitate the provision of the new school building. Progression of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding towards a refurbishment project at the school. The project is being considered in the context of the school building and modernisation programme 2006-10.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy originally applied for an extension and refurbishment to provide improved ancillary accommodation. The project proposed initially did not provide for any additional mainstream classrooms. In the process of assessment in accordance with the prioritisation criteria put in place following consultation with the education partners, increasing enrolments and the...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (9 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Funding is provided to primary and secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which afford schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to cater for the needs of their pupils. Primary schools' running costs are met by my Department's scheme of capitation grants. These grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of national schools. The...