Results 8,841-8,860 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In order to ensure that children whose first language is not English can succeed at school, my Department gives additional support to their schools which can take the form of financial assistance, additional teaching posts or portions of teacher posts. The level of extra financial or teaching support provided to any school is determined by the numbers of eligible non-English speaking...

Written Answers — Departmental Expenditure: Departmental Expenditure (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The total annual amount paid in respect of fee-charging secondary schools is some €96 million. Of this sum approximately €87 million relates to salaries and allowances of teachers. The balance includes the Protestant Block Grant and funding towards support services such as secretarial and caretaking services and miscellaneous grants. The payment of teachers salaries is part of a...

Written Answers — Schools Buildings Projects: Schools Buildings Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: This Government is determined to ensure that every child is educated in a suitable and comfortable environment. Since 1997, great advances have been made in transforming school accommodation throughout the country, through an investment of €3 billion. This has funded over 7,800 individual school projects in the last seven years alone. This year we are spending €500 million on school...

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment (NCCA) is a statutory body set up under the Education Act 1998 to advise the Minister for Education and Science on curriculum and assessment matters. While a document on Curriculum Provision in Irish in Post-Primary Education has been prepared for internal consultation within the Council, it has not yet been approved by the Council or...

Written Answers — Vocational Education Committees: Vocational Education Committees (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The application from the VEC to become a patron in respect of two primary schools is under consideration in my Department and a decision will be notified to the VEC in due course.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides a range of supports to second level schools to enable them cater for students with special educational needs. The supports in question include remedial and resource teaching support, special needs assistant support and funding for the purchase of specialised equipment. There are currently approximately 1,854 whole time equivalent additional teachers in place to support...

Written Answers — Medical Education: Medical Education (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 129 and 145 together. On the 1 February 2006 the Minister for Health and Children and I published the report of the Fottrell Working Group on Undergraduate Medical Education and Training. As part of these reforms I am increasing the annual number of undergraduate places for Irish and EU students from 305 to 485. I am also introducing a separate graduate...

Written Answers — Proposed Legislation: Proposed Legislation (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 132 and 142 together. The Deputies will be aware that, in accordance with the commitment in the Agreed Programme for Government, I plan to introduce a single unified scheme of maintenance grants for students in higher education. This will, I believe, provide for a more coherent administration system which will facilitate consistency of application, improved...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that, in September 2005 my Department introduced a new system of teacher allocation to all mainstream primary schools to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, that is, pupils with borderline mild and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability, including those with difficulties in maths. It is a matter for the...

Written Answers — Subject Evaluations: Subject Evaluations (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In 2006 the Inspectorate planned to conduct a total of 660 subject inspections in post-primary schools. This comprised 428 stand-alone subject inspections and 232 subject inspections as part of whole-school evaluations. By the end of 2006 the evaluation phase of the subject inspection process will have been completed in all of the 660 subject inspections planned. 389 of these subject...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 5 post-primary and 11 primary schools in the general Lucan area. The position regarding major school building projects in the area is as follows: St Marys Primary School, Woodview — The proposed extension project for this school is to provide additional accommodation to cater for 24 classrooms plus ancillary accommodation. The project is at an early stage of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to the total amount of money spent on buying and leasing prefabs in the 2005 to 2006 school year is not available in the format requested by the Deputy. Records are maintained on a financial year basis as distinct from a school year as sought by the Deputy. Details in relation to the cost of providing temporary accommodation (including the...

Written Answers — Residential Institutions Redress Scheme: Residential Institutions Redress Scheme (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The Residential Institutions Redress Board was established under statute in 2002 to provide financial redress to victims of child abuse in residential institutions in order to assist them in their recovery and enhance the quality of the remainder of their lives. The Board received 14,541 applications by the 15th of December, 2005, the closing date for receipt of applications. My Department...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, there are now no less than 4,000 extra teachers in our primary schools, compared with 2002. Furthermore, there are nearly 7,000 more primary teachers than there were in 1997. This represents the largest increase in teacher numbers since the expansion of free education. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils...

Written Answers — Inservice Training: Inservice Training (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 143 and 149 together. I wish to inform the Deputy that the Higher Diploma programmes for post-primary teacher training provide the necessary skills to mitigate and resolve conflict as it occurs in the classroom and school setting. Conflict resolution is integral to all aspects of the education programme which aims to support teachers as developers and...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I have no plans to introduce information and communications technology (ICT) as a discrete subject for the junior certificate. Recent thinking on ICT in schools is that the best way to learn ICT skills is to apply them in a meaningful context. Based on this, the focus in Ireland is on developing and promoting the use of ICT as a tool for teaching and learning across the curriculum.

Written Answers — Radon Gas Levels: Radon Gas Levels (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: My Department commenced a Radon Remediation Programme in 1998 when it commissioned the Radiological Protection Institute of Ireland (RPII) to conduct a survey of radon levels in all primary and post primary schools. The programme initially involved surveying radon levels in schools and subsequently carrying out mitigation works where appropriate. The programme is 100% funded by my Department...

Written Answers — Multi-Denominational Schools: Multi-Denominational Schools (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A special once-off grant of €40,000 was paid to Educate Together in 2005 bringing their total grant in that year to over €81,000. In 2006 the funding provided to Educate Together was increased almost threefold to €120,000. In making their case for funding to me Educate Together also raised the issue for support for newly establishing schools. To support such schools I introduced a new...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (28 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: A range of components in the Leaving Certificate examinations already take place prior to June. For example, coursework in Home Economics Scientific and Social is required to be completed by November. The Engineering project is required to be completed in March, and the oral examinations are completed in April, in addition to the LCVP Link Modules portfolio, the practical coursework elements...

Written Answers — School Insurance: School Insurance (28 Nov 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 and post-primary schools and would fall to be met from the capitation funding which schools receive from my Department. My Department provides funding to schools by way of per capita grants,...