Results 8,141-8,160 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Teacher allocations to second level schools are approved annually by my Department in accordance with established rules based on recognised pupil enrolment. Each school management authority is required to organise its timetable and subject options having regard to pupils' needs within the limit of its approved teacher allocation. The rules for allocating teaching resources provide that if a...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of 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 projects and has been assigned a Band 2 rating. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the School Building...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 289 and 290 together. The school to which the Deputy refers commenced operation in September 2002 with provisional recognition from the Department on the basis that it would be providing multi-denominational education in the Clontarf/Marino/Fairview area of Dublin. It is a condition of recognition that the Patron must provide suitable accommodation in the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the Department is in receipt of an application for major capital works 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 2 rating. The long term projected enrolment, which will determine the...

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 292 and 294 together. The home tuition scheme is designed to provide compensatory instruction for pupils with medical ailments which cause major disruption to their attendance at school on a continuing basis. Home tuition may also be sanctioned where a child cannot attend school at all or is absent for a significant proportion of the school year due to...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (18 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 (18 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Officials in my Department have been in contact with officials in County Clare VEC concerning the student referred to by the Deputy. I understand that the student completed a degree level course in 2004/05 and is commencing his first postgraduate level course in 2006/07, at Masters level, having had a break in studies for a year. I also understand that documentation in respect of the grant...

Written Answers — Third Level Courses: Third Level Courses (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Early Childhood Care and Education was sanctioned by my Department as part of the 2005/06 Programme for the Institute of Technology Tralee. The course was sanctioned on the understanding that the Institute was satisfied that it could meet the operational costs of the full cycle of the course and there would be no additional staffing requirements for the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The school 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 building costs. In August 2006 the school received approval for further additional...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level school management to enable schools to cater for pupils with special educational needs, such as: learning support/remedial and resource teaching support; special needs assistant support; funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. The National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been established as an independent statutory...

Written Answers — Lár-Ionad Náisiúnta Oideachais Gaeilge: Lár-Ionad Náisiúnta Oideachais Gaeilge (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Bhí cruinniú le hoifigigh as mo Roinn le páirtithe leasmhara le déanaí maidir le Baile Bhuirne. Tar éis do na tuairimí a nocht na páirtithe leasmhara ag an gcruinniú sin a bheith measta, táim ag súil go mbeidh mé ar mo chumas cinneadh deiridh a dhéanamh go rí-ghairid ar an dtionscadal.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological services either directly from assigned psychologists based in the National Educational Psychological Service or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments, details of which are available on my Department's website and which is administered by NEPS. There has been some movement of...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. The staffing schedule for the 2006/07 school year was outlined in Primary Circular 23/06 which was issued to all primary schools. The staffing of the school referred to by...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: County Kildare Vocational Education Committee, the school authority in this instance, is currently negotiating with the Department of Defence with a view to acquiring a suitable site for the new school. As soon as a site has been acquired progress on the project will be advanced.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the School referred to by the Deputy was one of the sixty two projects that I announced to start the architectural planning process in January of this year. The brief for the project consists of a 16 classroom Generic Repeat Design with an additional bolt-on Special Education Tuition room. A Design Team was appointed on the project in June of this year and following...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department has recently sanctioned the establishment of an early intervention class for autism in the school in question.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has received an application for capital funding towards the provision of a new building for the school referred to by the Deputy. My officials are in the process of assessing the school's long term projected staffing in order to determine the school's accommodation needs into the future. Factors to be considered include current and projected enrolment, demographic trends in...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 301 and 331 together. The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism receive an education appropriate to their needs, preferably through the primary and post primary school network. My Department supports an eclectic approach to the education of children with autism where a range of teaching methods can be...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). The School Support Programme will bring together, and build upon, a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of...

Written Answers — Freedom of Information: Freedom of Information (19 Oct 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The following table contains the information requested for the years 2003-2006. The information in respect of the year 2002 is not available. The detailed information sought by the Deputy was not held by the Department until the system was computerised in 2003. Info 2003 2004 2005 2006 No. of Requests 2,736 1,840 3,716 952 App. Fees â'¬1,095 â'¬2,090 â'¬1,575 â'¬1,515 Ret. Fees...