Results 6,961-6,980 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 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 (SENOs), for allocating resource teachers and Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) to primary and post primary schools to support children with special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 288 and 289 together. The assessment of the education needs of child with learning disabilities or the identification of the disability may involve input from one or more of a range of education and health professionals including education psychologists, clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, occupational therapists and other medical or teaching personnel....

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced 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...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The State Examination Commission (SEC) has operational responsibility for the certificate examinations. The provisional Leaving Certificate results for 2009 were released on 12 August 2009. The provisional results for 2010 are planned for release by the SEC on 11 August 2010.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Planning permission was granted in December 2007 and, while an appeal was made to An Bord Pleanála, the grant of permission was subsequently upheld. The progression of all large scale building projects, including this project, from initial design stage through to construction phase will be...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Recently, a letter issued to the school authorising the Design Team to begin work on revising the stage 2(b) documentation for submission to the Department. The Design team have since been in contact with the Department regarding the submission of Stage 2(b) documentation. It is expected that...

Written Answers — Ministerial Travel: Ministerial Travel (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy requires a considerable amount of staff time to collate. The collation process is ongoing and I hope to be in a position to reply to the Deputy by the end of next week.

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Teachers in second level schools are appointed and employed by the managerial authorities of the schools and it is their responsibility to ensure that appropriately qualified teachers are employed in the schools. Data from the Teaching Council indicates that there are 3858 post-primary teachers registered with them who have taken Maths as a major subject in their final year. It is estimated...

Written Answers — Mature Students: Mature Students (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the table. The table outlines the number of undergraduate new entrants at full and part-time to higher education institutions in the years 2007/2008 and 2008/2009. Year Full-Time25-55 % of total Full-TimeNew Entrants Part-Time25-55 % of total Part-TimeNew Entrants 2007/2008 3,200 8.6% 3,071 71.1% 2008/2009 3,793 9.3% 3,322 74.5%...

Written Answers — Telecommunication Masts: Telecommunication Masts (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the drafting of Planning and Development Regulations relating to mobile phone masts is a matter for the Minister for Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The erection of such masts is subject to normal planning regulations which are administered by the relevant Local Authority and subject to guidelines issued by the Department of Environment, Heritage and...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 298 and 299 together. The normal procedure for the recoupment of funding paid by local authorities in respect of first instalment of the maintenance grant is that the Department sends out the recoupment form to them during the first week in November for return to the Department by the third week in November. The recoupment arrangements are being kept under...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is currently at an advanced 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...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for a higher education grant is a matter for the relevant local authority. 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 local authority. Where an individual applicant has had an appeal...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for a higher education grant is a matter for the relevant awarding body, a local authority or VEC, as appropriate. The means test for a grant application is normally based on income in the last full financial year. Therefore, eligibility for a student grant for the academic year 2009/10 will be assessed on income from the 2008 financial year. However, if there has...

Written Answers — Whole School Evaluations: Whole School Evaluations (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The position in relation to the school referred to by the Deputy is that officials from my Department have met representatives of the Trustees of the school on a number of occasions to discuss how the management of the school would address the areas for development identified in the WSE report. A new principal has been appointed to the school and took up this position on 1 September 2009. I...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy is aware, the purpose of the Government decision to implement a recruitment and promotion moratorium in the public sector is to facilitate a permanent, structural reduction in the numbers of staff serving in the public sector and is intended to contribute significant and ongoing savings to the Exchequer. In applying this moratorium generally, teaching and research activities in...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (21 Oct 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information requested by the Deputy is being compiled by my officials and will be sent to her as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 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 special educational needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. All schools have the...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (4 Nov 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The cost of building a new classroom or new school building will vary from project to project depending on the complexity of the project, site conditions and ultimately on the tender outcomes. I can say that recent tenders are yielding a reduction of up to 30% in overall building costs for major projects in comparison to prices at the height of the construction boom. The Planning and Building...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (4 Nov 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: To date in 2009, 210 schools have been approved funding for the purchase of prefabricated classroom(s) with the option of providing a permanent solution. The latest figures available show an estimated cost of €28 million for these approvals. 61 of the approved schools have indicated to my Department that they intend purchasing prefabs and 60 intend providing a permanent solution. The...