Results 6,221-6,240 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. My Department's officials have recently received the stage 2 submission, the outline sketch scheme. When the stage 2 is reviewed, my Department will be in further contact with the school authorities as to the next steps involved in progressing this building project.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. Officials from my Department visited the school in question to carry out a technical inspection of the existing accommodation and to assess the needs of the pupils attending the school. The school authorities have embarked on a major redevelopment programme which is at a very early...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The management authority of the school in question, County Kildare Vocational Education Committee, is progressing plans to relocate the school and extend the capacity to 1,000 pupils. A formal planning application has been lodged with the local authority. That authority has asked for further information, which the committee's consultants are now in the process of providing.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The new eight-classroom building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. My Department received the stage 3 submission, the detailed plans and costs, from the school authorities on 21 March and when this is reviewed, it will be in further contact with the school authorities as to the next steps involved in progressing the project.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 555 to 557, inclusive, together. The schools referred to by the Deputy are three of 62 major building projects announced by me in January last to commence architectural planning in 2006. In all, 1,300 building and modernisation projects will be active in our primary and post-primary schools during 2006. Capital expenditure on primary and post-primary schools...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued to all primary schools each year. According to data submitted to my Department by the board of management of the school referred to...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Government has invested in the largest school building programme in the history of the State. Between 1998 and the end of 2004, almost €2 billion was invested in school buildings and in the region of 7,500 large and small projects were completed in schools, including 130 brand new schools and 510 large-scale refurbishments or extensions. Funding for schools building and renovation...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 561 and 562 together. My Department's policy is to ensure the maximum possible integration of children with special educational needs, SEN, into ordinary mainstream schools. Where mainstream provision is not appropriate children can be catered for in special schools that are dedicated to particular disability groups. There are 106 special schools in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Applications for major capital funding have been received from two schools in the Clane area. As part of the assessment of those applications, consideration has been given to the long-term demand for pupil places in the area to ensure that any extra provision being made will meet its needs well into the future. Progress on individual projects will be considered in the context of the school...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The primary pupil-teacher ratio for the 2004-05 school year in County Kildare was 20.2:1. The Deputy should note that part-time teachers and teachers in special schools are not included in those PTR figures. The information regarding the pupil-teacher ratio on a county basis for post-primary level is not available in my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government has dramatically...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The primary pupil-teacher ratio for the 2004-05 school year in County Kildare was 20.2:1. The Deputy should note that the pupil-teacher calculation does not include part-time teachers or teachers working in special schools. The Deputy asked how pupil-teacher ratios in Kildare compare with other countries. Up-to-date international comparisons on pupil-teacher ratios are not available to my...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am most anxious to advance the matter referred to by the Deputy. In that regard, my officials wrote to the school in question on 22 March confirming the support available from my Department to facilitate the opening of an autism unit in the school. A response to that correspondence is awaited.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the devolved scheme for primary school building works, a grant was sanctioned to enable the management authorities of the school in question to provide additional permanent accommodation. The initiative allows boards of management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives boards of management control of the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Information on the number of classes of over 30 pupils in the current school year is not yet available in my Department. As the Deputy will be aware, the Government's commitment to improving staffing in primary schools has been unprecedented. We have put over 5,000 more primary teachers in our schools in the last few years. Those have been targeted at pupils with special needs and those from...

Written Answers — Redundancy Payments: Redundancy Payments (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has reached agreement on the terms of a redundancy package for special need assistants, SNAs, employed in primary and second level schools. I expect that confirmation of the provisions of the redundancy arrangements will issue to schools shortly. In this case, I can confirm that an application form for redundancy payment has been received in my Department. As soon as the final...

Written Answers — Capitation Grants: Capitation Grants (4 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Primary schools' running costs are met by my Department's scheme of capitation grants. The grants are intended to contribute towards the general operating costs of national schools. The capitation grant has been increased substantially in recent years. The standard rate of capitation grant increased from €57.14 per pupil in 1997 to €133.58 with effect from 1 January 2005, and it has been...

Child Abuse. (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Litigation against my Department relating to child abuse arises in two contexts. The first relates to former residents of institutions who suffered abuse while in those institutions. Former residents have been entitled to make an application to the Residential Institutions Redress Board for an award in recognition of the abuse they suffered. A person can decide not to apply to the redress...

Child Abuse. (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Louise O'Keeffe case is the subject of the next question. It is a particularly sad case in view of the suffering Louise experienced as a young child in her school. The legal advisers of the Department of Education and Science will meet the State Claims Agency this week about that case. The agency will subsequently meet Louise O'Keeffe's solicitors. I have indicated to the agency that this...

Child Abuse. (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Obviously we intend to ensure that every child is protected and that there are proper child protection policies in schools. The vetting procedures, which we will discuss later, are in place in the schools. People should have due regard for the people who have unsupervised access to children, be they volunteers or employees, in the school setting. I do not intend to change the management...

Child Abuse. (5 Apr 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I sympathise greatly with Ms O'Keeffe for the suffering that she was put through by her primary school teacher in the 1970s. I have heard her speak in recent weeks and it is clear that she is still in a great deal of pain. There is no doubt that a great wrong that was done to her when she was just a little girl and that this naturally still hurts her deeply. However, while I have great...