Results 6,881-6,900 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (20 Oct 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 (SENO) for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with autism. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. Another function of the NCSE is to...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: An application from the school in question for an energy efficiency grant was received in my Department and approved. The school applied for the draw-down of the first portion (70%) of the approved grant and arrangements have been made to issue payment to the school. Payment of the remaining 30% will issue to the school upon further application, provided all terms and conditions, as set out...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers recently applied to my Department for funding under its temporary accommodation scheme. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding has been approved for the school under this scheme to either purchase or build 2 x 80 square metre classrooms. This will allow the school to replace existing prefabs and to re-configure the use of its existing mainstream...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school is being procured on a design and build basis, in which tenders are requested from contractors based on an initial design. The tender process for the building project is nearing completion. A letter of intent for the project issued to the preferred bidder in July. This requires the preferred bidder to respond with certain important information. There is process of due diligence...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an early stage of architectural planning. This project has a band 1.1 rating and includes the provision of an enhanced community facility in conjunction with Fingal County Council. The developed sketch scheme has been received by my Department and in order to avoid unnecessary delays, officials from my Department intend meeting with the school's...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The statistical data sought by the Deputy in relation to post primary school population in each of the 33 VEC's are outlined in the following spreadsheet for the 2008-2009 school year. It also includes statistical data for the non VEC schools i.e voluntary secondary schools, community and comprehensive schools on a county by county basis for the same period. The statistics are broken down...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 563 to 565, inclusive, together. I can inform the Deputy that my Department's National Educational Psychological Service currently employs 156 psychologists, of whom some 15 have been appointed since the 1 October, 2008. I can confirm that the 28 psychologists referred to in the Renewed Programme for Government are taken within the context of an overall...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 566 and 567 together. The 500 posts provided for in the reviewed Programme for Government are intended to be additional to those required to accommodate the increase in student population. My Department is keeping projections for future enrolment under constant review as the precise impact of net migration levels is somewhat uncertain. My Department is...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: 84 appeals in regard to mainstream posts in the 2009-2010 school year were submitted to the primary staffing appeal board to date. 21 of these appeals were successful and resulted in the allocation of an equivalent number of mainstream teaching posts. Four of the unsuccessful applicant schools were subsequently allocated a post by my Department based on their projected enrolment for...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The report and recommendations for a Traveller education strategy was launched by my colleague the then Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Mary Hanafin, in November 2006. The report covers all aspects of Traveller Education from pre-school right through to further and higher education within a lifelong learning context. The primary aim of the strategy is to ensure a quality,...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: The renewed programme for Government commits the Government to maintain language support funding to schools and guarantee that the extra language support assistants will also be available in schools where more than 50% of pupils do not speak English as a first language. The level of extra teaching support provided in respect of language support to any school is determined by the numbers of...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will appreciate that while some costs in the renewed programme for Government can be identified with a degree of certainty the costs of other elements will depend on their precise implementation. The specific education measures include a commitment to no further increase in the pupil teacher ratio for the lifetime of the Government, 500 teaching posts over the next three years,...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Ensuring we get value for money for the taxpayer is obviously a priority for me. We are continuing to work to find savings where possible. We are looking at new ways of carrying out functions. For example, work is ongoing on increasing the use of shared services and shared procurement arrangements. This is also an issue I will be examining closely in considering the Higher Education...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the commitment in the renewed programme for Government is to develop, in consultation with stakeholders, a costed multi-annual plan to implement some priority aspects of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs (EPSEN) Act, focusing on measurable, practical progress in education and health services for children with special needs. It is not possible...

Written Answers — Budget Submissions: Budget Submissions (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to assure the Deputy that the provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children with special educational needs, including those with an intellectual disability, continues to be a key Government priority. The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all pupils, including those with an intellectual disability, can have access to an education...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Information regarding enrolments in Protestant schools whose pupils may qualify for assistance from the Secondary Education Committee by way of the Protestant block grant is shown in the attached table. There are 26 schools with a Protestant ethos in the State, 21 of which charge fees. No fee-charging school, regardless of denomination, receives direct funding from my Department to cover...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that the school to which the Deputy refers has made an application to my Department for large scale capital funding for an extension and refurbishment project. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a Band 2 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme...

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

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the student maintenance grant schemes, students who are entering approved courses for the first time are eligible for financial assistance where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to residence, means, age, nationality and previous academic attainment. For student grants purposes, students are categorised according to their circumstances either as students dependent on parents or...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (20 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an early stage of architectural planning. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction is dependent on the prioritisation of competing demands on the funding available under the Department's capital budget. The proposed building project will be considered...