Results 7,561-7,580 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Local Authority recently advised my officials that the negotiations with a land owner have concluded and they are now exchanging contracts to complete the sale of a site. My Department, as sought by the Local Authority, has arranged to provide the funding to the Council to enable the transaction to be concluded. The Department has already commenced preliminary work on master-planning the...
- Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 596 and 597 together. Fingal County Council has recently advised my Department that negotiations are continuing in relation to a site for the school referred to by the Deputy. The matter of submitting a planning application will be dependent on the successful completion of the site acquisition by the Local Authority. As the Deputy will appreciate, due to...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The proposed project for the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned 1.4 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme along with all assessed applications for major capital works, including the project referred to by the Deputy, is now available on my...
- Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 599 and 600 together. The total number of students who have received financial assistance from the Millennium Partnership Fund, by county, in the academic year 2008-2009 is set out below.
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 601 and 602 together. The information requested by the Deputy is set out below, on a county basis, and has been supplied to my Department by the local authorities and the Vocational Education Committees. Students in Receipt of Maintenance Grant for 2008/09 Academic Year on County by County Basis County Number of Students Carlow 815 Cavan 985 Clare 1,596...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos 605 to 609, inclusive, together. At the end of 2008 there were 247 major capital projects in architectural planning up to and including stage four (in construction). Currently there are 226 major capital projects in architectural planning up to and including stage four. There were 33 major school projects completed since December 2008. There were 39 major...
- Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The opening of the pedestrian entrance for access to the school in question is being addressed at local level. I understand that there are insurance issues which have to be resolved before the pedestrian access will be permitted by the landowners and that discussions on the matter are ongoing.
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I can confirm that an application under the Summer Works Scheme 2010 has been received from the School to which the Deputy refers. Following an assessment process, projects will be selected for funding from all valid and approved applications on a top down basis in accordance with the prioritisation criteria published with the Scheme. The timetable for the Summer Works Scheme 2010 has been...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The number of permanent teaching posts available in second-level schools at any one time is determined in accordance with the agreed criteria relating to the application of the pupil teacher ratio. It is a matter for each school authority, as employer, to determine whether any particular post when vacated may be filled on a permanent basis. When deciding on the number of teaching posts, if...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: There were 261 Special Needs Assistants (whole time equivalents) employed in County Clare on 31 December 2009 and paid on payrolls operated by my Department. Two hundred and twenty were serving in primary schools and forty one were serving in secondary and community/comprehensive schools. The Deputy should contact Co. Clare Vocational Education Committee in relation to the number of special...
- Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs), is at present carrying out a review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts, as outlined in my Department's Circular 07/02, are properly met....
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Department is currently awaiting receipt of the Supplementary Tender Report from the school's Design Team. Assuming that there are no issues arising from that Report, the project will be authorised to proceed to the award of a contract.
- Written Answers — Departmental Projects: Departmental Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take Questions Nos. 616 and 622 together. My Department provides funding for thirty eight projects in Local Drugs Task Force areas, including the project specifically referred to by Deputy McGrath. These projects, through a variety of programmes and activities, seek, in the main, to encourage young people not to engage in drug-taking. My Department originally took on...
- Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to special needs assistant (SNA) support in the school in question. My Department does not fund classroom assistant posts. 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 SNAs to schools to support...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
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 2.1 rating. Information in respect of the current school building programme...
- Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Third Level Maintenance Grant Schemes, are administered by the Local Authorities and Vocational Education Committees' on behalf of my Department. The arrangement for the payment of grants and refunds of student service charges under the grant schemes are a matter for the administering authorities. Officials in Longford Vocational Education Committee have confirmed that the candidate...
- Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: Emergency works grants are made available to those schools most in need of resources as a result of unforeseen emergencies of a capital nature that may arise during the school year. Primary, Secondary and VEC schools which have suffered damage due to flooding during the recent inclement weather should, in the first instance, contact their insurance companies. Community and Comprensive schools...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The Forward Planning Section of my Department has carried out a study of the country to identify the areas where, due to demographic changes, there may be a requirement for significant additional school provision at both primary and post-primary levels over the coming years. This study has been conducted using data from the Central Statistics Office, the General Register Office and the...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: As you are aware, a total of â¬79m of my Department's capital budget in 2009 is being carried forward to 2010. Of the total amount, â¬72m is being allocated to primary schools' capital and the remainder of â¬7m to my Department's Information & Communications Technology Policy area towards payment of capital grants to schools as I announced towards the end of last year. The â¬72m...
- Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (26 Jan 2010)
Batt O'Keeffe: The allocation for higher education capital in 2010 is â¬141m The allocation will allow me to continue the programme of investment in upgrading and modernising undergraduate facilities at institutes of technology, universities and other colleges around the country. â¬46m of this allocation will be specifically targeted at research. In terms of mainstream projects my Department currently has...