Results 9,481-9,500 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (6 Feb 2007)

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). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The process of identifying schools for...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (6 Feb 2007)

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). DEIS will bring together and build upon a number of existing interventions in schools with a concentrated level of disadvantage. The new action plan represents a shift...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 485 and 520 together. Following a detailed assessment of the school's long term accommodation needs, a decision was taken to provide a new six classroom school. The acquisition of the site adjoining the school has concluded and at present the transfer of the existing school site to the Minister is ongoing. The school building project will be considered for...

Written Answers — Acting Studies: Acting Studies (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The position is that the universities are autonomous institutions and my Department does not have any function in their day to day operational affairs. The universities receive a block grant from the Higher Education Authority and it is a matter for each institution to determine how it is allocated internally.

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In advance of a new Catholic primary school being established in Edenderry, the Commission on School Accommodation (in its Area Development Plan for the N4/M4 corridor) and the New Schools Advisory Committee recognised the need for existing primary schools in Edenderry to consider re-configuration to strengthen their position. The NSAC finding came on foot of an application to establish a...

Written Answers — School Curriculum: School Curriculum (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Social, Environmental and Scientific Education (SESE) is a specific area of the curriculum at all levels in primary schools. The SESE curriculum seeks to enable the child to come to an understanding of the physical world, the relationship of humans with their environment, and the historical process through which that relationship has grown. The different strands of the SESE curriculum deal...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 489 and 491 together. As the Deputy will be aware, this Government has shown an unrivalled commitment to ensuring that children and young people with special needs get the extra support they need in order to reach their full potential at school. We have dramatically expanded investment in special education in recent years and we have improved access to the...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information is not readily available in the format requested by the Deputy. In relation to PE facilities throughout the country generally, the PE curriculum has been designed on the basis that facilities in schools may vary. Many primary schools have a general purpose room and practically all schools have outdoor play areas which are used for teaching different aspects of the physical...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department is fully aware of the need to provide a solution to the long term accommodation needs of the school to which the Deputy refers. In this regard, it is the Department's intention to permanently accommodate the school in a building which it expects to be vacated post an amalgamation of three other primary schools. The Department will be corresponding with all of the schools...

Written Answers — Pre-school Services: Pre-school Services (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has received an application for the school in question for the provision of a pre-school for 3 to 5 year olds. This application is currently being assessed and my Department will be in contact with the school.

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is managing a focused programme of investment in measures from early education to improve access to and participation in higher education by students from under-represented groups in that sector. There are clear indications that the increased investment of resources in this area over the last decade and more is now paying dividends and that targets for participation in higher...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 495 and 497 together. The Deputy 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 — Third Level Charges: Third Level Charges (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The student charge is levied by third level institutions to defray the costs of examinations, registration and students services. The student charge is €800 for the 2006/2007 academic year. All students who are eligible for means tested student support have the student charge paid on their behalf by the Local Authorities or the Vocational Education Committees, in addition to any maintenance...

Written Answers — Teacher Education Programmes: Teacher Education Programmes (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The position is that teaching practice is an integral part of the curriculum for the training of both primary and post-primary teachers and, as such, my Department does not provide special financial assistance for students towards costs associated with teaching practice. The Deputy will be aware that teacher education programmes provided in approved third level institutions are also approved...

Written Answers — Third Level Fees: Third Level Fees (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I have no plans for extending the free tuition fees scheme to include part-time students at this time. Under the terms of my Department's Free Fees Initiative the exchequer meets the tuition fees of eligible students. The main conditions are that students must (a) be first-time undergraduates; (b) hold E.U. nationality or official refugee status; and (c) have been ordinarily resident in an...

Written Answers — Departmental Agencies: Departmental Agencies (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: €1m was set aside in my Department to facilitate the establishment and operation of the Grangegorman Development Agency in 2006. The outturn for 2006 was €94,961.66. An allocation of €1.03m has been provided for 2007. Section 24 of the Act provides for the Agency to appoint such and so many persons to be members of staff of the Agency as it may determine with my consent and the consent...

Written Answers — School Closures: School Closures (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A decision was taken by the Trustees of the school to which the Deputy refers that it will close in June 2007. This decision was taken because, in line with demographic changes in the area, the school has experienced a steady decline in enrolments in recent years. Current enrolments in feeder primary schools indicate that this decline will continue. In fact, a general decline in enrolments...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The proposed refurbishment and extension project for the School referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. My Department recently completed a review of the long term projected enrolment in the school. The Board of Management of the school are currently finalising the appointment of a Mechanical and Electrical Consultant. When this appointment is made my...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has an application with my Department for major capital grant aid for a PE Hall. This project has been assessed in accordance with the published criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a Band 4 rating. Progress on the proposed project will be considered in the context of the School Building and Modernisation Programme from 2007 onwards.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that funding for the works referred to by the Deputy was recently approved by my Department.