Results 9,001-9,020 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. The compilation of this information would involve an inordinate amount of staff time.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (30 Nov 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As an exceptional measure, the Department decided that a pupil from a primary school outside the catchment area to which the Deputy refers would be allowed to enrol in the post primary school in question for the 2006-2007 school year. As the Deputy points out, this decision was taken because the pupil concerned had an expectation that s/he would be enrolling in the school and did not have...

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

Mary Hanafin: I share the Deputy's views that children with special educational needs should be educated in an inclusive environment with children who do not have such needs unless the nature or degree of those needs is such that to do so would be inconsistent with the best interests of the individual child or those with whom the child is to be educated. The Deputy may be aware that the National Council...

Written Answers — Programmes for Government: Programmes for Government (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, extraordinary progress has been made right across the whole spectrum of education in recent years, with the extra investment provided by this Government to support the implementation of our Programme for Government commitments and enable progress on emerging areas of need. The budget for my Department has increased substantially in recent years and the recent...

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

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received in my Department from the school referred to by the Deputy under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. My Department is currently assessing all applications received from schools for funding under this programme. The list of successful applicants will be published as soon as possible.

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Teachers trained outside the jurisdiction of the State, whose qualifications have been assessed and accepted by my Department, but who do not possess an appropriate Irish language qualification, are granted a five year period of provisional recognition to teach in mainstream classes in national schools. During this period these teachers are expected to obtain their Irish language...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: The criteria and procedures for the recognition of new primary schools were revised in 2002 based on the recommendations of a report of the Commission on School Accommodation, on which the Education Partners were represented. Applications for the recognition of new primary schools are assessed by an independent advisory board (the New Schools Advisory Committee) on the basis of the facts...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (5 Dec 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 students...

Written Answers — School Placement: School Placement (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 456, 459 and 489 together. School enrolment is a matter for Board of Managements. The parent in question should, therefore, apply for enrolment, in the normal way, to the Gaelcholáistí in the area. Section 29 of the Education Act 1998, provides parents with an appeal process where a Board of Management of a school or a person acting on behalf of the Board...

Written Answers — Coláistí Oideachais: Coláistí Oideachais (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Níl sé i gceist agam Coláiste Oideachais Neamhspleách a chur ar bun le múinteoirí a oiliúint chun teagasc i scoileanna Gaeltachta agus lán-Ghaeilge. É sin ráite, is é mo rún daingean a chinntiú go bhfuil an Ghaeilge chuí á múineadh i ngach clár ag na Coláistí Oiliúna chun freastail ar riachtanais na múinteoirí ag obair i ngach scoil, scoileanna Gaeltachta agus...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Schools which have not qualified for inclusion in DEIS, and which are receiving additional resources under pre-existing schemes for addressing disadvantage, can be assured that they will continue to get support in line with their level of disadvantage. I can also assure the Deputy that the school to which he refers will benefit from the lower local contribution rate for capital works. With...

Written Answers — School Relocation: School Relocation (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: To date, the Department in not in receipt of a proposal for the relocation of the school referred to by the Deputy. However, the School Planning Section of the Department has sent an application form for Major Capital Works to the school in question for completion.

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

Mary Hanafin: The long term accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy has been determined and notified to the school authority. Officials from the School Planning Section have recently been in contact with the school authority to agree on a suitable a date for a technical visit which is to take place in the coming days.

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

Mary Hanafin: The average class size at primary level in 1996/97 was 27, while there was one teacher for every 22 children, including support teachers. Details of the average class size and the pupil teacher ratio for the current school year are not yet available. However, in 2005/06 the average primary class size was 24, while there was one teacher for every 17 children, including support teachers. In...

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

Mary Hanafin: Significant improvements have been made in the staffing of our second level schools in recent years. In the 1996/97 school year, there were approximately 23,200 whole-time equivalent teaching posts allocated to second level schools. For 2006/07, the corresponding figure is 25,424 whole-time equivalent posts. This increase in staffing has dramatically improved the pupil teacher ratio at post...

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

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware the school to which he refers is included in the list of projects that were recently announced to commence architectural planning for a new 16 classroom school. It is intended that this school will be built using either the standardised design model or the design and build process, which have been successfully introduced by the Department in recent years. This is...

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

Mary Hanafin: An appeal was made to the Secretary General of my Department under Section 29 of the Education Act, 1998, against the decision of the Board of Management of a school in Co. Donegal to permanently exclude the person in question. The case went to full hearing before an independent appeals committee but the appeal was not upheld. My Department has no authority to compel a school to re-admit a...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Issues: Health and Safety Issues (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: In general, individual school authorities are responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring the safety and welfare of children and others in their care, including traffic management measures within the vested area of the school site. My Department is prepared to consider applications from school authorities for grant-aid towards improving safety arrangements, including car parking, at...

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

Mary Hanafin: The Maintenance Grant Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate courses is administered by the Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department. Under the terms of the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Post Leaving Certificate Courses 2006, grants are available to eligible candidates who are entering approved PLC courses for the first time in the 2006/2007 academic year....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (5 Dec 2006)

Mary Hanafin: Following a detailed assessment of the school's long term accommodation needs, a decision was taken to provide a new six classroom school. In order to facilitate this development, the Office of Public Works, which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisition, is at an advanced stage of the acquisition of land adjacent to the existing site. When the site acquisition process...