Results 5,981-6,000 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Applicants for the approved Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary Teaching) and the Higher Diploma in Arts in Primary Education must have the following academic qualifications: (a) an honours Bachelor degree - level 8 on the National Framework of Qualifications or a qualification at level 9 or 10 on the National Framework of Qualifications, and (b) one of the following sets of second level...

Written Answers — Departmental Funding: Departmental Funding (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The funding arrangements made by my Department for second-level schools reflect the sectoral division of our second-level system. At the core of all arrangements is reliance upon capitation as the principal determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am pleased to advise the Deputy that schools which have enrolled children with autism have access to a wide number of support measures. These include the allocation of teaching and/or care resources by the National Council for Special Education, reduced pupil-teacher ratios, enhanced capitation for special schools and special classes for pupils with autism; provision of funding for...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Question 209: To ask the Minister for Education and Science if he will investigate the possibility of having a larger size bus put in place for persons (details supplied) in County Cork. [24264/09]

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As you 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 to primary and post primary schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have...

Written Answers — Home-School Liaison Scheme: Home-School Liaison Scheme (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The application referred to by the Deputy is currently being considered by my Department and a decision will issue to the family shortly.

Written Answers — Home Tuition Scheme: Home Tuition Scheme (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The intent of the Home Tuition scheme has not changed in the past twelve months. The Deputy will be aware that the home tuition scheme provides a grant to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting an...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that I have already reviewed this matter myself on foot of a detailed report received from the Residential Institutions Redress Unit of my Department. I sympathise very much with the position of the person referred to by the Deputy. I appreciate that in 1982 he approached the Department to advise it of the abuse he had suffered, and that the teacher who had abused...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department's procedure for dealing with complaints of abuse are that all complaints are referred to the HSE which has statutory responsibility for dealing with such allegations. Similar procedures existed in the past. In the case of criminal investigations the Gardaí are the appropriate authority and my Department's policy is to provide the Gardaí with any papers or records they require....

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (18 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advise the Deputy that, having had the file in this particular case reviewed, I do not feel that there is any benefit in requesting the Attorney General to become involved in this matter. I sympathise very much with the position of the person referred to by the Deputy. I appreciate that in 1982 he approached the Department to advise it of the abuse he had suffered, and that the...

Written Answers — Pension Provisions: Pension Provisions (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under section 2 of the Financial Emergency Measures in the Public Interest Act 2009 a person is liable to pay the pensions-related deduction if he or she is a public servant on or after 1 March 2009 and is a member of a public service pension scheme, is entitled to a benefit under such a scheme or receives a payment in lieu of membership of such a scheme. Therefore, even if a person is not a...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 468, 469, 508 and 534 together. 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am advised that the file for the school in question was not missing. I understand the Deputy may be referring to a comment on the file which was released under the Freedom of Information Act referring to lack of progress in the case. The lack of progression of the site issue was impeded as the initial search for a greenfield site in the area had not been successful. My officials have had...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 471 and 472 together. The provision of a new building for the school to which the Deputy refers necessitates the acquisition of a greenfield site. This is actively being pursued by my Department. Due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisitions generally, I am not in a position to comment further on this aspect of the matter at this...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department is satisfied that there is adequate capacity at post-primary level in Lucan in the short to medium term. 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 years. Factors under consideration include population growth, demographic...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: It is my Department's intention to increase capacity at the school to which the Deputy refers to 1,000 pupil places. The building project is awaiting the appointment of a Design Team. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be considered in the context of my Department's multi-annual School...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (23 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...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The application to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in the Planning and Building Unit of my Department in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. It has been assigned a Band 2 rating under these criteria. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 477 and 478 together. I wish to advise the Deputy that my Department has considered the correspondence submitted by the schools in question appealing the decision to suppress a class for pupils with a Mild General Learning Disability (MGLD) in each school. My Department recently advised both schools that the decision to suppress the classes remains. All...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (23 Jun 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The new post primary school to which the Deputy refers is currently under construction. When completed, it will cater for 1,000 pupils.