Results 7,221-7,240 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Grant Payments. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The block grant to Protestant fee-paying schools is approximately â¬650 per pupil. The block grant to a normal school is â¬345 per pupil. There is a privileged position already.
- Grant Payments. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I am far more interested in having a targeted intervention for Protestant schools in rural areas that have been badly affected and need more support than they receive at present. I would like that information to be provided before giving any consideration to increasing the block grant. An increase in the block grant would create a bigger difference between the normal non-fee paying schools...
- Grant Payments. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have accommodated the archbishop and the bishop by meeting them. They have appointed a liaison person to work with officials in the Department and have agreed to submit additional information that will outline clearly where there are difficulties. As soon as that is provided, we will work with them to bring about a resolution.
- Primary School Provision. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I am arranging to circulate the list referred to by the Deputy for the information of the House. The forward planning section of my Department carried out an initial demographic analysis utilising the current enrolments in schools, and applied growth scenarios to those figures for each region based on information such as the CSO regional population projections 2011-26 to establish probable...
- Primary School Provision. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I have arranged for it to be circulated to Members.
- Primary School Provision. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: My constituency is not in the list in case the Deputy is wondering if there are developing areas in that part of Cork. I have always tried to maintain a balance in funding for schools throughout the country, and I will continue to maintain that balance. Last year, I put funding in place for a summer works scheme that enhanced 2,700 schools. They were not left out at all. The statistics...
- Primary School Provision. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Those areas have not been forgotten. There is the summer works scheme and the devolved grant scheme. I can provide the Deputy with the percentages.
- Primary School Provision. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The two major projects in the Deputy's area of County Mayo that I announced early this year have commenced. One is nearly completed, so the Deputy cannot claim that Mayo has been left out of the frame. It has done well. I will maintain a balance between developing, rural and urban areas. The Government is committed to ensuring sufficient funding for a schools programme. Last year saw the...
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Section 29 of the Education Act 1998 provides parents with an appeal process where a board of management of a school or a person acting on behalf of it expels or suspends a pupil for a period of greater than 20 days or refuses to enrol a student. Concerning expulsions, a total of 91 appeals were lodged in 2006 and 69 of these went to hearing, of which 23 were upheld. In 2007, a total of 76...
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: One can make one's own case. One in four appeals has been upheld. Many cases - 40% of suspensions and 20% of expulsions - are resolved before they go outside the school. I wish to speak about the system that is in place. If a better or more efficient system were available, I would consider it. It is important to examine the structure of the appeals process. One makes one's appeal to the...
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: It is important to emphasise that each parent has the right to go to court. Deputy Brian Hayes suggested recently that parents should go to the High Court. I would like to give some comparative figures in that context. The facilitation cost of a section 29 appeal is â¬500. The price of a full hearing is â¬1,000. If a parent opts for a judicial review, he or she would incur a cost of...
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: It would cost â¬100,000 in all.
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Given that an independent process is in place, surely the Deputy is not trying to ask parents to bring cases of this nature to the High Court.
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The independent process is far less costly and takes less time.
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: A great deal of time and stress is involved for parents who go to the High Court.
- School Discipline. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I thought it was a daft idea, to be honest. It would cost a great deal of money.
- Information and Communications Technology. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that â¬252 million is being invested in information and communications technology, ICT, in schools under the national development plan between 2007 and 2013. The national development plan also required that a detailed ICT strategy be published by my Department to target investment appropriately. The report of the strategy, Investing Effectively in ICT in Schools...
- Residential Institutions Redress Board. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Following the publication of the Ryan report, this House passed a unanimous motion calling on the congregations to commit to making further substantial contributions by way of reparation. In June of this year, the Taoiseach and the relevant Ministers, including me, met representatives of the 18 religious congregations that were party to the 2002 indemnity agreement. The congregations...
- Residential Institutions Redress Board. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: Of course we were disappointed with the progress made. Did we contact the congregations? Yes, we did. The Taoiseach wrote to them as did my Secretary General, giving them a deadline by which time their contributions would be made known. We are now at a stage where one outstanding contribution is to be made known to me and I understand this will be done during the week. An e-mail or text...
- Residential Institutions Redress Board. (1 Dec 2009)
Batt O'Keeffe: I thought the Deputy was younger than me.