Results 6,381-6,400 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As a result of the 2009 Budget provisions for Education, and following subsequent proposals from the management bodies of primary and second level schools, new arrangements were put in place for substitution cover in the period January to June this year. These arrangements will continue for the 2009/2010 school year pending the completion of a review of the supervision, substitution...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (8 Jul 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, 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. I understand...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The details of the schools in Counties Roscommon and Leitrim that are in the pre-architectural planning stage are given in the tabular statement. The Deputy should be aware that the details refer to major capital grant applications only and does not include applications for funding under schemes such as the Summer Works Scheme and Emergency Works Scheme. The progression of all large scale...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Tabular statements provide details of all the projects in County Tipperary approved for funding under the Summer Works Schemes 2004-2009 and the revised details following appeals of applications not approved in 2009. Summer Works Scheme 2009 Unapproved Applications in North Tipperary County Sector Roll No. School Works requested Reason TIPPER-ARY N.R. Primary School 17543J CLOUGH-JORDAN NS...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Each VEC is required to hold at least 10 statutory meetings of its full committee per annum. In addition, it is a statutory requirement, under Section 32 of the Vocational Education (Amendment) Act 2001, that a finance sub-committee is formed to report to the main committee on at least four occasions per year. VECs may also establish other statutory sub-committees, as provided for by...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can inform the Deputy that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through my Department's National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA) which is administered by NEPS. NEPS encourages a staged assessment process whereby each school takes responsibility for...

Written Answers — Child Abuse: Child Abuse (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to advice the Deputy that the position in relation to recently published Ryan Report is that the Government has accepted all of its recommendations and is committed to their full implementation. To this end, Barry Andrews, TD, Minister for Children & Youth Affairs will bring an implementation plan to Government before the end of the month. In relation to the specific case referred to,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including the project for this school will be considered in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme. However, in light of current competing demands on the Department's capital budget, it is not possible...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (8 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to assure the Deputy that there will be no pupil with a special educational need who will be without access to a special needs teacher as a result of the decision to apply the normal rules which govern the appointment and retention of teachers of special classes for pupils with a mild general learning disability. All primary schools were allocated additional teaching resources under...

Written Answers — Social Welfare Benefits: Social Welfare Benefits (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Question 613: To ask the Minister for Social and Family Affairs the position regarding an application for rent subsidy in the case of a person (details supplied) in County Cork. [28877/09]

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I understand that the Deputy's question refers to general operatives employed by City of Dublin VEC. Officials of my Department contacted the VEC and established that these employees had fixed term contracts for the period from September 2008 to June 2009 (i.e. the school year). This is in line with the usual practice in the VEC.

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department currently has 7 staff assigned to the National Educational Psychological Services (NEPS) based at Donore Road Industrial Estate, Drogheda, Co. Louth and 3 school inspectors based at the Regional Development Centre, Dundalk Institute of Technology. All are permanent employees. The office properties that accommodate the staff concerned are leased by the Property Management...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I recently announced a new initiative whereby unemployed workers will have access to 2,500 new places on part-time undergraduate and postgraduate courses from September 2009. All 2,500 places will be on courses that support the goals of the Government's "Smart Economy" plan and particularly those relating to specific skills needs of exporting sectors identified by the Expert Group on Future...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Combined classes are a feature of the majority of schools in the country and this arrangement has no adverse implications for the quality of the education children receive. While the staffing schedule allocates on the basis of an average number of pupils each individual school decides on how to arrange its classes. In terms of class sizes almost 80% of primary pupils were in classes of less...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy may be aware, I announced in September 2008 that the project for the school in question was to proceed to re-tender and construction. My Department's Building Unit is currently awaiting a Stage 2B (Detailed Design) submission, to comply with the new form of Government Construction Contract. Once it is received and examined, my officials will be in contact with the school...

Written Answers — Public Service Review: Public Service Review (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: At the commencement of its work, the Special Group on Public Service Numbers and Expenditure Programmes requested all Departments to prepare evaluation papers outlining potential areas for savings in staff numbers and expenditure. Such papers were prepared in respect of the Education and Science Vote. The Special Group met the Secretary General of the Department of Education and Science in...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department does not calculate class size information by Dublin postal code. However the Statistics section of my Department's website now contains class size data at individual primary school level for the 2006\2007 and 2007\2008 school years. The information includes the number of pupils in each class, the number of pupils in each class size range and the number of teachers in each...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to confirm that applications have been received from a number of schools in the areas to which the Deputy refers, for major capital investment. All applications for capital funding are assessed in the School Capital Appraisal Section of my Department. As part of the assessment process, a project is assigned a band rating under published prioritisation criteria for large scale...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 831 to 854, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the total number of whole-time equivalent Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) employed in Primary schools in County Laois on 30 June 2008 was 127 and on 30 June 2009 was 130. The total number of whole-time equivalent Special Needs Assistants employed in Secondary, and Community and Comprehensive...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (9 Jul 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 855 to 869, inclusive, and 871 to 878, inclusive, together. I wish to advise the Deputy that the total number of whole-time equivalent Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) employed in Primary schools in Co Laois on 30 June 2008 was 127 and on 30 June 2009 was 130. The total number of whole-time equivalent Special Needs Assistants employed in Secondary, and...