Results 7,861-7,880 of 8,873 for speaker:Batt O'Keeffe

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Under the terms of the student grant schemes, a student is not eligible for grant assistance in respect of a second period of study at the same level, irrespective of whether or not a grant was paid previously. The decision on eligibility for student grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority, i.e. the Local Authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Abair Leat is a virtual online language laboratory in which students can improve their Irish by interacting over the internet with native Irish Speakers. The pilot phase of Abair Leat is aimed at supporting the oral syllabus in first year of post-primary school. Fifteen schools were invited to participate in the Pilot Project and fourteen have accepted. The schools were selected on the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I assume that the Deputy is referring to the review of Special Needs Assistant (SNA) allocations currently being carried out by the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs). The NCSE is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The closing date for the receipt of applications under the Summer Works Scheme 2010 was 27 November 2009. Following an assessment process, successful 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. In keeping with the timetable published with the governing Circular...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I propose to take questions Nos. 615 and 593 together. I can confirm that my Department has received an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and assigned a band rating of 2. Information in respect of the current school...

Written Answers — Child Protection: Child Protection (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The primary statutory responsibility for child protection lies with the Health Service Executive. The role of my Department is to provide guidance and support to schools in implementing child protection policy and to refer any allegations the Department receives to the appropriate authorities for investigation. My Department has issued child protection guidelines and procedures to all...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Feb 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 — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Civic, Social and Political Education aims to prepare students for active participatory citizenship. This is achieved through comprehensive exploration of the civic, social and political dimensions of their lives at a time when pupils are developing from dependent children into independent young adults. The content of this course has been written in the form of unit descriptions rather than...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The decision on eligibility for student grants is a matter for the relevant assessing authority, i.e. the Local Authority or VEC. These bodies do not refer individual applications to my Department except, in exceptional cases, where, for example, advice or instruction regarding a particular clause in the relevant scheme is required. If an individual applicant considers that she/he has been...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) is an independent agency with responsibility for determining the appropriate staffing levels in relation to the support of pupils with special educational needs in mainstream and special schools. The Deputy will also be aware that the NCSE, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs),...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 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 — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: Awarding authorities are obliged to satisfy themselves beyond doubt that an acceptable degree of proof has been submitted by the grant applicant. The Department regularly emphasises the obligation on the Awarding Authorities to take appropriate action to detect fraud and to take action when a suspected case of fraud has come to their attention. The Department actively encourages Awarding...

Written Answers — Cycle to Work Scheme: Cycle to Work Scheme (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Cycle to Work Scheme is available to approximately 1,300 employees of my Department the whole year round and to date 37 employees have availed of it. The terms of the cycle to work scheme for approximately 60,000 teaching and non teaching staff who are employed by the managerial authorities of schools and paid on my Department's payrolls are set out in Circular 54/2009. This Circular...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The school to which the Deputy refers opened with provisional recognition from my Department in September 2004. During the period of provisional recognition, it is the responsibility of a school patron to provide interim accommodation. Notwithstanding this position, my Department is aware of the accommodation issues at the school in question and it is taking steps to assist the Patron in...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The question of enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools. My Department's main responsibility is to ensure that schools in an area can, between them, cater for all pupils seeking places. This may result, however, in some pupils not obtaining a place in the school of their first choice. It is the responsibility of the managerial...

Written Answers — Grant Payments: Grant Payments (16 Feb 2010)

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 PLC courses, will be ineligible for student support maintenance grants. The cost of the student services charge and any fees payable to colleges will continue to be met, for eligible students, by the Exchequer on...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: As the Deputy will be aware the project for the school to which he refers was one of 25 projects that I announced to go into architectural planning in 2009. Any decision to progress this project is contingent, among other things, on the receipt of the necessary statutory approvals and the completion by the school patron of the acquisition of the site for the proposed new school building.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: I wish to clarify for the Deputy that my Department has not taken a decision relating to special needs assistants (SNAs) in the school in question. 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 children...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: The Deputy will be aware that on 12 February, 2009, I announced details of 25 projects to commence architectural planning. The project for the school in question was included in that announcement. Since then, the Department has sought clarification from the school in relation to their proposal to purchase additional land to add to the existing school site and confirmation regarding a...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (16 Feb 2010)

Batt O'Keeffe: My Department became aware of increasing evidence that a number of SNA posts were not being used in line with the SNA scheme criteria. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) was requested by my Department in February 2009 to arrange for its SENOs to review SNA allocations in all schools with a view to ensuring that the criteria governing the allocation of such posts are properly...