Results 9,401-9,420 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm that the Department is in receipt of an application for capital funding from the management authority of the school to which the Deputy refers under the Small Schools Scheme 2007. Applications under this scheme are currently being assessed and a list of successful applicants will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Office of Public Works (OPW) who acts on behalf of my Department generally on the acquisition of sites for schools has been asked to source a suitable site for Gortahork National School. My Department has been advised that the OPW has advertised for sites and a technical assessment of the proposals has been carried out. The OPW is in negotiations with owners of potentially suitable...

Written Answers — Adult Education: Adult Education (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding for the Further and Adult education programmes of VECs annually. This arrangement will continue in 2007 and 2008. The disbursement of these funds is a matter for each VEC, which decides the nature of the Further and Adult Education service to be provided in its area and the manner in which the funds should be spent. Expenditure by VECs on their programmes must...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Catchment boundaries are not used to determine eligibility for school transport to primary schools. Catchment boundaries have their origins in the establishment of free post-primary education in the late 1960's and were determined following consultation with local educational interests. For planning purposes, the country was divided into geographic districts, each with several primary...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The accommodation needs of the school in question are under consideration by the School Planning Section of my Department. In order to ensure that the appropriate level of accommodation is provided, officials in School Planning Section are currently reassessing the long-term projected staffing figure on which accommodation needs will be based. Once this figure has been determined, it will...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension has been received from the school and has been assessed and the long term projected staffing, on which the accommodation needs will be based, has been determined and notified to the school authority. In order to determine how best to provide for the school's accommodation needs into the future, it will be necessary to...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1711 and 1713 together. My Department's support package for the July Education Programme is available to all special schools and mainstream primary schools with special classes catering for children with autism who choose to extend their education services through the month of July. The Department also provides for a July Programme for pupils with a...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of appropriate educational intervention and supports for children and young adults with special educational needs is a key Government priority. At primary level, there are now over 5,500 teachers working directly with children with special educational needs against fewer than 1,500 in 1998. At post-primary level, over 2,300 wholetime equivalent teachers support special needs...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The long term projected staffing, on which the accommodation needs of the school referred to by the Deputy will be based, has recently been determined and notified to the school authority. A site visit will be required in order to inform the final brief for the project and my officials will be in contact with the school authority at the appropriate time to arrange a mutually convenient time...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The 2007 Estimates include provision for another 800 primary teachers for the 2007/2008 school year. About 500 of these will be classroom teachers, which includes our commitment to reduce class sizes. I assure the Deputy that we will continue to prioritise further improvements in school staffing going forward. We will also continue our focus on measures to improve the quality of education...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I would like to inform the Deputy that from data available to my Department, pupil enrolments in the primary schools in the Youghal area are relatively stable. None of the primary schools in the area have submitted applications under the Permanent Accommodation Scheme 2007 or for the Rental of Temporary Accommodation for additional classroom accommodation for September next.

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 1717 and 1719 together. As the deputy will be aware all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The National Educational Psychological Service supports the personal, social and educational development of all children in Primary and Post-Primary schools through the application of psychological theory and practice in education having particular regard to children with special educational needs. All primary and post-primary schools have access to psychological assessment either directly...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Bus Éireann operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department. Routes are planned in such a way as 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. Bus Éireann have advised my Department that the pupils...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that officials from my Department have been in contact with the school authorities to advise on how to apply for funding for the works in question as part of the large scale building project currently taking place at their school.

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students which are administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees. Generally speaking, students who are entering approved courses at undergraduate or postgraduate level for the first time are eligible for maintenance grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to...

Written Answers — Consultancy Contracts: Consultancy Contracts (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy was forwarded to him by letter yesterday. I regret the delay in sending this information to the Deputy. However, it was necessary to undertake a comprehensive trawl of all units of my Department.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The permanent School Building project referred to by the Deputy is at early stage of architectural planning. My Department wrote to the Design Team on the project on the 20th September 2006 requesting a stage 1/2 submission (Outline sketch scheme with costings) and this submission is expected in my Department by the end of February this year. When this stage 1/2 submission is received in my...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware the new school to which he refers opened in September 2005. The school was given approval to enrol two Junior Infant Classes per year and, when fully occupied, will operate as a two-stream 16-classroom school. This incremental development is common to all newly established schools to ensure that a shortage of accommodation at the school is avoided by an over...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (31 Jan 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Under the terms of the Department of Education and Science Post Primary School Transport Scheme, a pupil is eligible for transport if he or she resides 4.8 kilometres or more from his or her local post primary education centre, that is, the centre serving the catchment area in which he or she lives. The scheme is not designed to facilitate parents who choose to send their children to a post...