Results 6,121-6,140 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (29 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary and secondary schools under two separate schemes. One is the 1978-79 scheme under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. These staff members are paid directly through my Department's payroll. The 1978-79 scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (29 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, SSP. The process of identifying primary and second-level schools for participation in the new school support programme has been completed. As a result of the identification...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level schools to enable them to cater for pupils with special educational needs including pupils with Asperger's syndrome. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. The precise model of provision made available will depend...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I understand from my Department's National Educational Psychological Service, NEPS, that the school in question is assigned a NEPS psychologist but that the school has not prioritised the pupil in question for assessment. The NEPS psychologist will be happy to discuss the pupil's needs if prioritised by the school for consultation. There is no charge for a consultation with NEPS or for an...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is in receipt of an application for both additional temporary accommodation and the replacement of existing prefab accommodation from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application is currently under consideration in the school planning of my Department. Contact will be made directly with the school authority as soon as a decision is made.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. However, this application refers to the provision of a physical education hall only. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects. It has been assigned a band four rating. Progress on the project is being...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, which was established recently, and which has been operational since 1 January 2005, is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs, SEN, supports. In this case, an application for resource teaching and special needs assistant, SNA, support was made to the relevant special educational needs...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware, the National Council for Special Education, NCSE, is operational since 1 January 2005, and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports. I am advised by the NCSE that the local special educational needs organiser, SENO, an officer of the NCSE, has not yet received an application for resources for the child in question. The relevant...

Written Answers — Departmental Programmes: Departmental Programmes (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Some 840 schools have been invited to participate in the new school support programme under DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan. These comprise 640 primary schools, 320 urban or town schools and 320 rural schools and 200 second-level schools. Letters of invitation were issued to all 840 schools in late February with a request to complete and return an...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the average class nationally in 2004-05, the latest year for which data are available, was 23.9. The average class size in both Limerick city and Limerick county were below the national average in that year. Both areas have also benefitted from a significant drop in average class size as a result of the extra teachers that have been put in place in our primary...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, SSP. This standardised system replaces all of the existing arrangements for targeting schools for participation in initiatives to address disadvantage. The process of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers applied to my Department for the provision of an additional classroom in September 2005. On foot of this application, the school was advised that its needs could be met from within its existing provision. Following an appeal of this decision, the school has been asked to outline why this approach is not possible. The application will be considered further...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS, delivering equality of opportunity in schools, the new action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated school support programme, SSP. This standardised system replaces all of the existing arrangements for targeting schools for participation in initiatives to address disadvantage. The process of...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department of Education and Science provides for and funds education in primary schools and second-level schools in the free education scheme. Existing policy is that students up to 18 years of age are admitted to schools irrespective of their nationality or status. However, student visas are only allowed in respect of attendance at fee-paying schools. It has recently become apparent that...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Under the means test provisions of my Department's maintenance grant schemes a candidate, other than an independent mature candidate, is assessed on his or her income and the income of his or her parents proper to the previous tax year, that is for the 2005-2006 academic year a candidate's reckonable income for the purpose of the higher education grant scheme is the income proper to the 2004...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The facility referred to by the Deputy is one of a number of facilities, operating on a pilot basis, that use alternative educational methods for teaching children on the autistic spectrum. Generally speaking, where new facilities or schools are established and gain temporary recognition from my Department, the school authorities are responsible for securing interim accommodation. The cost of...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second-level school management to enable schools to cater for pupils with special educational needs. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. There has been enormous progress made over the past number of years on increasing the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 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. An assessment of the school's long-term requirements is underway in school planning section of my Department. When this assessment is completed, a decision will then be made on how best to meet the school's current and emerging accommodation needs. The project...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Officials of my Department have arranged to meet shortly with the management authorities of the college in question. All relevant infrastructural issues relating to the college will be discussed at this meeting.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (30 Mar 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available.