Results 6,861-6,880 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Languages Programme: Languages Programme (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: 81.2% of second level pupils study three languages, Irish, English and a continental language, to completion of upper second level, and over 70% of schools offer two foreign languages or more. The languages available as part of the post primary curriculum in schools include French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Japanese and Arabic. The post primary language initiative provides supports...

Written Answers — Schools Patronage: Schools Patronage (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Government approved the scheme of the Education (Patronage) Bill 2009 on 23rd June 2009. The scheme of Bill has been referred to the Office of the Parliamentary Counsel to the Government for drafting and it is expected that the Bill will be published during the current session. Pending enactment of the Bill, I as Minister for Education and Science, am acting as Patron of Scoil Choilm...

Written Answers — Inquiry into Child Abuse: Inquiry into Child Abuse (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 138, 156 and 559 together. The Deputies will be aware that following publication of the Ryan Report, this House passed a unanimous motion on 28th May, 2009 calling on the congregations to commit to making further substantial contributions by way of reparation, in the context of discussions with the State, including to a Trust to be set up and managed by the...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In 2007, a decision was taken to secure the long term viability of this programme by increasing Ireland's contribution to the Fund for the programme by €20 million to be paid over a number of years conditional on matching funding being raised by the US-Ireland Alliance. Implementation of this decision requires, inter alia, amendment of the George Mitchell Scholarship Fund Act, 1998 and a...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The commitment in the Renewed Programme for Government to review the allocation of Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) is intended to ensure that the policy of allocating SNAs to support children with special educational needs is working and to provide a basis on which more informed policy decisions can be made. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE)...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In order to improve the information systems available to my Department in relation to primary and post-primary schools, my Department's Forward Planning Section uses Geographical Information System technology which contains a certain level of information on all schools in the country, at both primary and post primary level. To further expand and improve the capabilities of the system,...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the number of births in this country continues to rise, my Department is faced with the challenge of providing accommodation to cater for a ten percent increase in school-aged children, and to establish where, throughout the country, this accommodation will be required. In 2000 there were 54,789 births in Ireland, while the 2008 figure is 75,065, a 37% increase over the period. The...

Written Answers — Schools Patronage: Schools Patronage (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Officials in my Department are currently updating the register of Patrons provided for under Section 8 of the Education Act and will be verifying the Register details directly with all school Patrons very shortly. A substantial amount of work has already been done on this exercise and I expect that the list will be completed and made available to the Deputy in the very near future.

Written Answers — Parent-Teacher Meetings: Parent-Teacher Meetings (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: While I have not met with the association concerned in relation to the matter raised by the Deputy, I am aware that this and related matters have been raised by my officials in discussions under the auspices of the Teachers Conciliation Council. While I acknowledge that there has been upset and anger at some of the measures introduced to stabilise the public finances, I would re-iterate that...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 145, 569 and 570 together. The precise level of additional grant support will be considered in the context of the estimates and budgetary process for 2010.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 146 and 589 together. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or guardians, dependent mature students or as independent mature students. An independent mature student is defined as a mature student who was not ordinarily resident with his or her parents from the October...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147, 153 and 577 together. My Department is currently considering a number of broad policy issues relating to the recognition process for second level schools. The application from Educate Together to be recognised as a patron body at second level is being fully examined within the context of legal, financial and other factors that I must consider.

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware the student services charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. These services may include on-campus medical and counselling facilities for students, access and disability services, careers office, student facilities, student clubs and societies etc. Currently, the student services charge is...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that a number of amendments to the Student Support Bill in relation to legal and policy issues which have arisen since Second Stage are being advanced by my Department in close consultation with the Office of the Attorney General. The Bill makes provision for the transfer of responsibility for student grants to the VEC sector. In the existing budgetary situation,...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The OECD PISA (Programme for International Student Assessment) 2006 survey of 15 years olds across 57 countries showed that Ireland's mean score in mathematics was not significantly different from the OECD average. We ranked 16th of 30 OECD countries and 22nd of 57 countries. There were fewer lower achievers and higher achievers than the OECD average, with the majority of pupils scoring in...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, I had previously signalled my intention to bring the technical report that my officials prepared, at my request, on 'Policy Options for New Student Contributions in Higher Education', to Government for consideration and decision. However, in light of the changed economic circumstances that have given rise to the commitment contained in the new Programme for Government,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The National Braille Production Centre (NBPC) is a national service which provides access to educational materials by transcriptions through a range of formats, accessible for children with a visual impairment. The formats currently catered for are: Braille, tactile diagrams, Large Print and text-only files on computer disk. The NBPC is funded by the Department of Education and Science and in...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: In relation to the Programme for Government commitment to provide 500 teaching posts over the next three years, my Department proposes to structure a consultation process through meetings with the education partners in the coming weeks in accordance with the commitment to consultation as set out in the renewed Programme. In advance of such discussions it has written to the education partners...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for a higher education grant is a matter for the relevant county council as appropriate. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been unjustly refused a maintenance grant, or that the rate of maintenance grant awarded is not the correct one, she/he may appeal, in the first instance, to the relevant county council. Where an individual applicant has had...

Written Answers — School Fees: School Fees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 554, 576, 619 and 620 together. I wish to reassure the Deputies that I, along with my colleagues in Government, recognise the importance of ensuring that students from a Protestant background can attend a school that reflects their denominational ethos. I have met with representatives of both the Church of Ireland Board of Education and the Grand Orange Lodge...