Results 861-880 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (24 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) is a second chance education initiative for unemployed persons, who are at least 21 years of age or over and in receipt of specified social welfare payments for at least six months. VTOS is operated through 33 VECs nationwide. VTOS students are paid a training allowance in lieu of their previous qualifying social welfare payment, at a rate...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (24 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: As the Deputy is aware, given the significant investment by the Department in this scheme — €175.2 million in 2008 — it is a matter of concern for the Department that some parents would reserve seats for their children and then not make full use of these seats during the full school year. Bus Éireann Inspectors and drivers provide feedback to Bus Éireann in this regard on a regular...

Written Answers — Literacy Levels: Literacy Levels (24 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Department of Education and Science has as one of its primary goals the achievement of high literacy standards. Both the National Action Plan for Social Inclusion (2007-2016) and the National Development Plan (2007-2013) have a high level goal of reducing the proportion of pupils with serious literacy difficulties in primary schools serving disadvantage communities from 30% to 15% by...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (24 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, children are eligible for free transport, subject to certain conditions, to their nearest national school. However, pupils not attending their nearest national school may avail of fare-paying transport to another school, provided: (a) the written agreement of the board of management of the nearest school is secured; (b) there are spare...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (24 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme, pupils who reside 3.2 kilometres or more from, and are attending, their nearest suitable national school as determined by my Department, are eligible for free school transport. The position in this case is that the child referred to by the Deputy is not attending his nearest national school and therefore is not eligible for...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (25 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Finance Act 2008 provided the legislative changes to withdraw relief in respect of fuel used for public transport vehicles with effect from 1 November 2008 in line with the European Union Energy Tax Directive. The appropriate full excise duties will apply from that date. My Department is in discussions with the Department of Finance on the impact of the withdrawal of the relief in...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's Primary School Transport Scheme, pupils who reside 3.2 kilometres or more from, and are attending, their nearest suitable national school as determined by my Department, are eligible for free school transport. The position in this case is that the Gaelscoil referred to by the Deputy is the nearest Gaelscoil to the estate referred to. The parents of pupils...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the national body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework, promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department has advised that the family referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied will be issued with tickets this week.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: I propose to take Questions Nos. 576 to 580, inclusive, together. Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if s/he resides 4.8 kilometres or more from her/his local post primary education centre. The scheme is not designed to facilitate parents who choose to send their children to a post-primary centre outside of the catchment...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: I have asked the School Transport Section of my Department to request Bus Éireann, which operates the School Transport Scheme on behalf of my Department, to put arrangements in place to address the matters raised by the Deputy in the details supplied. Bus Eireann will liaise directly with the families in question when a transport service has been established.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of my Department's School Transport Scheme, transport is provided in respect of eligible primary and post-primary pupils only. There is no provision in the School Transport Scheme for the pupils referred to by the Deputy.

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The School Completion Programme encompasses both primary and post-primary levels and focuses on young people between the ages of 4 and 18 years and is designed to deal with issues of both concentrated and regionally dispersed disadvantage. SCP is a key component of DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunities in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion, which discriminates positively...

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) provides full-time second chance education and training opportunities for unemployed adults who are at least 21 years of age and in receipt of specified social welfare payments for at least six months. The scheme is funded by my Department and operated through the 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs). The number of approved places on...

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) is a second chance education initiative which is funded by my Department for unemployed persons who are at least 21 years of age and in receipt of certain social welfare payments for at least six months. It is operated through the Vocational Education Committees. The aim of the Scheme is to give unemployed people education and training...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: One of the main objectives of my Department's School Transport Scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from school, and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly. As a general rule, special transport services are not established in areas where public scheduled bus services already exist. Eligible pupils in such cases are...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: The Finance Act 2008 provided the legislative changes to withdraw relief in respect of fuel used for public transport vehicles with effect from 1 November 2008 in line with the European Union Energy Tax Directive. The appropriate full excise duties will apply from that date. My Department is in discussions with the Department of Finance on the impact of the withdrawal of the relief in...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Bus Éireann operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department. Routes are planned in such a way to ensure that, as far as possible, eligible pupils have a reasonable standard of service, while at the same time, ensuring that school transport vehicles are fully utilised in the most efficient and cost effective manner. My Department has been advised by Bus Éireann and the...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (30 Sep 2008)

Seán Haughey: Circular Letter 46/00 sets out the arrangements for the delivery of self-financing part-time adult education programmes in second level schools and provides for a reduction of teaching hours for Directors of Adult Education, depending on the level of enrolment in the preceding year. The issue of a review of Circular Letter 46/00, regarding the provision of reduced teaching hours, was...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (1 Oct 2008)

Seán Haughey: As the Deputy is aware, the Finance Act 2008 provided the legislative changes to withdraw relief in respect of fuel used for public transport vehicles with effect from 1 November 2008 in line with the European Union Energy Tax Directive. The appropriate full excise duties will apply from that date. My Department is in discussions with the Department of Finance on the impact of the withdrawal...