Results 7,401-7,420 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: 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 preceding entry to an approved course. When assessing the...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Statistics Section of my Department's website contains information relating to class size in primary schools for the school years 2006/07 to 2008/09. The primary census for the 2009/10 school year is currently underway and the final outcome will be made available when this process is completed.

Written Answers — Teaching Inspections: Teaching Inspections (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to inform the Deputy that the information requested is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy shortly.

Written Answers — Higher Education Qualifications: Higher Education Qualifications (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: I am aware of reports of an increase in the number of first class honours degrees awarded in Irish higher education institutions and the HEA has confirmed that the proportion of students graduating with first class honours degrees has increased in recent years. However, I am not aware of any direct evidence to suggest that the number of such awards is too high or is unjustified. Universities...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The information sought is currently being compiled and will be forwarded to the Deputy as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works are now available on the Department's website at www.education.ie. Details of the dates when applications from schools in Co. Offaly were received are in the attached table. The priority attaching to individual projects is determined by published prioritisation...

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: From September 2010, as announced in the Budget, all new applicants who are in receipt of the Back to Education Allowance for all schemes and the VTOS allowances for those pursuing a PLC course will no longer be eligible for student support grants. The cost of the student service charge and any fees payable to colleges will continue to be met by the Exchequer on their behalf. Students...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The project to which the Deputy refers is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. Representatives from the school and the design team attended a stage 2(b) briefing which was held in my Department's office in Tullamore on 12 November. Thereafter, a letter issued to the school authorising the design team to prepare and submit stage 2b documentation (detailed design/tender documents)....

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 Dec 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 in common with other psychological services encourages a staged assessment process...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (17 Dec 2009)

Batt O'Keeffe: The supply teacher scheme was initially set up at primary level over 15 years ago at a time when schools had difficulty getting substitute teachers. The supply scheme operates on the basis of an additional full-time teacher being allocated to a school to cover certified sick leave absences in that school and a cluster of neighbouring schools. If the teacher is not required on a given day to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (17 Dec 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 schools to support children with special needs. The NCSE operates within my Department's criteria in allocating such support. I have arranged for the details supplied...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Jan 2010)

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

Written Answers — Youth Services: Youth Services (19 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 986, 987, 989 to, 992, inclusive, 1037, 1067 and 1070 together. My Department provides funding for thirty eight projects in Local Drugs Task Force areas, including those projects specifically referred to by Deputies Broughan, Gogarty, McGrath and Upton. These projects, through a variety of programmes and activities, seek, in the main, to encourage young...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (19 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the new arrangements which I have recently put in place to promote Ireland as a centre for international education, Enterprise Ireland has been given operational responsibility, under my authority, for the marketing and promotion of the "Education Ireland" brand overseas and the development, promotion and marketing of international higher education. Its functions include: supporting...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (19 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is currently in the process of carrying out detailed analysis of over 40 locations of highest population growth in order to identify the school accommodation requirements up to and including the school year 2014/2015. Given the increase in the birth rate in recent years the initial focus of this analysis is on primary school accommodation...

Written Answers — School Building Projects: School Building Projects (19 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department is in the process of carrying out detailed analysis of over 40 locations of highest population growth in order to identify the school accommodation requirements up to and including the school year 2014/2015. Cork City has been identified as one of those locations and detailed accommodation reports will be complete in the coming weeks. When the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (19 Jan 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The supply teacher scheme was initially set up at primary level over 15 years ago at a time when schools had difficulty getting substitute teachers. The supply scheme operates on the basis of an additional full-time teacher being allocated to a school to cover certified sick leave absences in that school and a cluster of neighbouring schools. If the teacher is not required on a given day to...