Results 7,961-7,980 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496, 498 and 499 together. The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs (SEN) supports from primary and post-primary schools. I am informed by the NCSE that a parent of the pupil referred...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (3 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is as follows: Number of pupils in Primary Schools in Kildare: 22,458. Number of teachers employed in Primary Schools in Kildare: 1,223. Number of Special Needs Assistants in Primary Schools in Kildare: 251 full-time and 42 part-time. The above figures are in respect of the 2005/2006 school year, the most recent year for which figures are available....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (3 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally has been requested to source a site for the school in question. The OPW has liaised with the Planning Department of Limerick County Council in connection with one potential site option. I understand from OPW that the feedback from the Planning...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (3 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Section 23 of the Education for Persons with Special Educational Needs Act 2004 provides that the National Council for Special Education must make a report to the Minister outlining the steps that must be taken in order that the provisions of the 2004 Act will be fully implemented within the period specified in the report. While there is a high degree of consistency and complementarity...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested is not available in my Department in the format requested by the Deputy. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has been actively pursuing a suitable site to facilitate the construction of a permanent building for the school referred to by the Deputy. My Department is considering two site options with the intention of identifying the most suitable site to facilitate the development of a new school building.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware the Department has taken over from the Patron with regard to acquiring the necessary permanent site for the Junior School with a view to concluding the acquisition as quickly as possible to move the delivery of the permanent structure forward. It would be the Department's intention to relocate the Junior School to temporary accommodation on the new site for 2007.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The letters referred to by the Deputy were given to me in the form of a petition by the INTO and did not call for an individual response. However, in response to the petition, I issued a statement pointing out the position with regard to staffing in our primary schools. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary and post-primary level in recent...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: This Government has shown a clear determination to dramatically improve the financial support available to those students who need it most. We introduced a Top Up Grant, which currently benefits over 12,000 students this year. The higher, non-adjacent special rate of maintenance is based on the maximum personal rate of Social Welfare Unemployment Assistance. This year the top up grant was...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (4 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The assessment of means under my Department's Third Level Student Maintenance Grant Schemes is based on gross income from all sources, with specified social welfare and health service executive payments being excluded from the calculation. The following Social Welfare and Health Service Executive Payments are excluded in the calculation of reckonable income:— Child Benefit Family Income...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project at the School referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. This School was among 40 Schools that I announced in April of this year to go to tender and construction on a rolling basis over the next 12 to 15 months. My Department's Officials visited the School in question in June of this year and following the visit requested that a revised...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The project referred to by the Deputy is included in the refurbishment and extension project at the School referred to by the Deputy and is at an early stage of architectural planning. This School was among 40 Schools that I announced in April of this year to go to tender and construction on a rolling basis over the next 12 to 15 months. My Department's Officials visited the School in...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is not in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the school to which the Deputy refers. It will be provided with the relevant application form if it makes contact with School Planning Section or it can access the form (Form FLE) on the Department's website.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: School Planning Section is in receipt of an application for major capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale projects and has been assigned a Band 4 rating. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the School...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: When there is sufficient accommodation in the neighbourhood of a closing school, there is no necessity for the Department to re-draw a catchment area. In the case in question, the Department is satisfied that there are sufficient post primary pupil places in the area concerned to meet the demand presenting. Generally, a closing school assists its residue of pupils in finding alternative...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The data requested by the Deputy are contained in the following table. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary and post-primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school year there are no less than 4000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The vast majority of schools in the State are privately owned and managed. Therefore, the information requested by the Deputy is not available in the Department.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The three Third Level Student Support Schemes, administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department, offer financial assistance to eligible students attending approved third level courses. Students entering approved courses for the first time are, generally speaking eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age,...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement including preschool children with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (ASD) who are eligible, subject to...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, it is the Department's intention to permanently accommodate the school to which he refers in a building which it expects to be vacated post an amalgamation of three other primary schools. To progress this matter, the next step is to carry out a technical inspection of the buildings concerned to determine the scope of works to facilitate both the amalgamation and...