Results 7,981-8,000 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

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

Mary Hanafin: Under the provisions of the Education Act 1998 and the regulations of the Department of Education and Science, the board of management is the body charged with the direct governance of a school. The overall responsibility for the day to day management of school supervision rests with the Principal Teacher. The terms of Circular 16/73, which issued to all primary schools, provide that the...

Written Answers — Decentralisation Programme: Decentralisation Programme (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The latest report by the Decentralisation Implementation Group (DIG) published yesterday gives an indicative date of Quarter 1 2009 for the provision of permanent accommodation in Mullingar. The decentralisation of the 300 posts in my Department from Dublin to Mullingar as set out in the Government's Programme of Decentralisation with take place when this accommodation is ready for...

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

Mary Hanafin: The school in question was offered and accepted a devolved grant in 2005 to provide an additional permanent classroom. The grant on offer was subsequently increased, at the request of the school authority, to include the provision of a resource room. In June 2006 additional funding was approved to cover unforeseen additional building costs. The school has made a further appeal for more...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (5 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Psychologists in my Department's National Educational Psychological Service are employed as educational psychologists without differentiation in that service. Psychologists in NEPS have a variety of professional experiences and hold qualifications in relevant areas of expertise. All psychologists in the service satisfied the criteria laid down by the Public Appointments Service in the...

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

Mary Hanafin: Earlier this year, I announced new Support Teams to work directly with schools experiencing serious behaviour problems in post-primary schools. I announced the plan following the publication of the final report of the Task Force on Student Behaviour in Second Level Schools — School Matters. A new package of measures announced includes: A New regionally-based National Behaviour Support...

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

Mary Hanafin: Special Needs Assistants (SNAs) are recruited specifically to assist in the care of pupils with special educational needs in an educational context. They may be appointed to a special school or a mainstream school in situations where a pupil has a significant medical need for such assistance, a significant impairment of physical or sensory function or where their behaviour is such that they...

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

Mary Hanafin: I understand that the Deputy's question refers to training in the delivery of resource teaching support. I wish to advise the Deputy that the role of the special needs assistant (SNA) is essentially a care one in supporting pupils with assessed special educational needs. Resource teaching support is delivered by the school's teaching staff. Accordingly, my Department has no plans to...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Social Personal and Health Education is mandatory in primary schools and at junior cycle level and provides a framework under which the generic values and skills which underpin responsible decision-making and respect for the rights and safety of others can be developed and promoted among students. SPHE has a specific personal safety strand within the programme, and this provides a vehicle...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: At the outset, I would advise the Deputy that traffic management at Waterford Institute of Technology is a matter for the management authorities of the Institute. However, I can confirm that my Department provided funding totalling €1.137 million during the period 2000 to 2003, for the provision of car parking facilities at the Institute. These facilities are available to students, staff...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that responsibility for delivering school building projects to tender and construction is devolved to local school level by my Department. This approach gives school authorities a much greater degree of control over the timescale for the delivery of their projects. The school authorities are therefore best positioned to provide the detailed information sought by the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that my Department has written to the Health Service Executive requesting the provision of appropriate therapeutic and support services to the Unit for pupils with autism, attended by the pupil in question.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department is planning the development of a new 1,000 pupil post primary school in Phibblestown to serve the growing population of the Dublin 15 area. It is intended to progress the provision of the school as a Design Build Project. An advertisement was placed in the Official Journal of the European Union for design build teams and the short-listing of these...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Department accepts that there is a need to locate the school to which the Deputy refers onto a site which will be the school's permanent location. School Planning Section is working with Fingal County Council to acquire a site for this purpose. As soon as an appropriate site has been identified, the Department will move to acquire it and provide a permanent building for the school.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am not aware of the scheme referred to by the Deputy. However the home tuition scheme which is administered by my Department 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...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Department approved significant extra accommodation in Dublin 15, including the establishment of a new school, to cater for eligible pupils seeking places this September. Officials in School Planning Section contacted the majority of the schools concerned in the third week of the new school year. At that point, Principals reported that the situation was still...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department operates four student maintenance grant schemes which comprise the Post Leaving Certificate Scheme and three schemes which relate to third level courses. The Schemes are administered by the VECs and Local Authorities on behalf of my Department. Under the prescribed conditions of all four schemes maintenance grants are payable at either the adjacent or the non-adjacent rate. In...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 496 and 535 together. I can confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for major capital works from the management authority of the school to which the Deputies refer. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 2 rating. To move the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. In July of this year my Department's Officials wrote to North Tipperary VEC giving approval to proceed to Stage 2 (Outline Sketch Scheme) of architectural planning. When the requested stage 2 is received in my Department, my Department's Officials will be in further contact with North...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Planning Application for the school referred to by the Deputy was lodged on 03/10/2006.

Written Answers — School Insurance: School Insurance (10 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Responsibility for arranging insurance cover, including the specific requirements of insurance cover for school property and against public liability is a matter for the managerial authorities of primary schools and would fall to be met from the capitation funding which schools receive from my Department. My Department provides funding to primary schools by way of per capita grants, which...