Results 9,921-9,940 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I previously advised the Deputy that as a specific function of the NCSE, through its network of local special educational needs organisers (SENOs), is to identify appropriate educational placement for all children with special educational needs and the parents of the child in question should contact the local SENO in this regard. I am now reiterating that advice particularly as the child is...

Written Answers — Health and Safety in Schools: Health and Safety in Schools (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In accordance with the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 1989, it is the responsibility of school management authorities to have a safety statement in place in their schools. Schools are obliged to identify possible hazards, assess the risks to health and safety and to put appropriate safeguards in place. Provision is built into the School Building Programme to enable schools address...

Written Answers — Subject Inspections: Subject Inspections (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Inspectorate of my Department conducted 727 subject inspections in post-primary schools in 2006. This figure includes 34 subject inspections of Mathematics which were conducted during 2006. Twenty-one of the inspections of Mathematics were conducted as stand-alone evaluations and 13 were carried out as part of whole-school evaluations (WSE). Fifteen subject inspection reports on...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Office of Public Works is currently negotiating with the Department of Defence on the acquisition of a strip of land that is required to facilitate a building project at the Limerick Model School. The outcome of these negotiations will determine the need for consultation with the local authority on other lands.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school for a particular school year is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on the 30th September of the previous school year and by reference to a staffing schedule. This staffing schedule for the 2006/07 school year is outlined in Primary Circular 0023/2006 which was issued to all primary schools. In the current school year (2006/07)...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which acts generally on behalf of my Department in the acquisition of school sites, has been requested to source a site for this school. On foot of advertising a number of proposals were received. A technical assessment of these proposals has been carried out by the OPW and a report is currently with my Department for...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for the sanctioning of the appointment of a principal teacher from a date earlier than September 2007 has been received from the school referred to by the Deputy. This application is under consideration and my Department will contact the school shortly.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has acknowledged the need to relocate the existing primary school referred to by the Deputy to a greenfield site. The acquisition of a site for this development is being actively pursued to enable this. When this matter has been finalised, progress on the proposed project can be considered under the School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department recently published a Draft Area Development Plan for north Dublin, East Meath and South Louth. The Draft Plan, which is available on the Department's website www.education.ie, covers the North Drogheda Environs which is the area to which the Deputy refers. The Deputy will be aware that the Local Authority has published a North Drogheda Environs Master Plan. This proposes the...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The three Third Level Student Support Schemes, administered by the Local Authorities and the Vocational Education Committees on behalf of my Department, offer financial assistance to eligible students attending approved third level courses. Students entering approved courses for the first time are, generally speaking, eligible for grants where they satisfy the relevant conditions as to age,...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (22 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The proposed building project at the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The school in question was listed to progress through the architectural planning process and was given approval to proceed to Stage 3 (Developed sketch scheme with costings) of architectural planning. When the Stage 3 submission is received in the Department, Officials in...

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 4,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. The average class size in our primary schools is 24 and there is now one teacher for 17 pupils at primary level, including resource teachers etc. Children with special needs and those from disadvantaged areas are getting more support than ever...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through the local special educational needs organiser (SENO), is responsible for processing applications from schools for special needs supports such as resource teaching and special needs assistant (SNA) support on the basis of applications in respect of individual pupils. SNA support is provided specifically to...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Dr. Jim Port has been asked to assess the submission made by the Governing Body of Waterford Institute of Technology having regard to (i) national strategy for the development of Irish higher education; (ii) implications for regional development in the South East in the context of the National Spatial Strategy and (iii) any likely implications for the overall structure of higher education in...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are ongoing between the Department, Wicklow County Council and the educational providers in the Greystones/Delgany area with a view to ensuring that the long term educational needs of the area are adequately met. All possible options will be considered and the concerns of parents will be taken into account.

Written Answers — Irish Language: Irish Language (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the primary school curriculum Irish is a compulsory subject. Exemption from the study of Irish may, however, be granted to primary pupils under certain circumstances as outlined in Department Circular 12/96. A condition for the granting of an exemption to a pupil with a specific or general learning difficulty is that evidence of such a disability must be furnished by a qualified...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an advanced stage of architectural planning. The new school will cater for up to 1,000 pupils. The Stage 3 submission has recently been received in my Department and is currently under review. My Officials will contact the Developers when the review is complete with directions as to the next steps involved in progressing...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application has been received in my Department under the Small Schools Scheme 2007 from the school referred to by the Deputy. All applications received under this scheme are under consideration and the list of successful applicants will be published shortly.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of the matter to which the Deputy refers. This issue is under consideration in my Department and my officials will revert to him shortly on the matter.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (27 Feb 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The announcement to which the Deputy refers was part of a series of initiatives which I was pleased to introduce to assist primary school principals with significant levels of non-teaching duties. The initiatives included provision, for the first time, for the appointment of administrative Deputy Principals in primary schools with 24 or more mainstream class teachers and for the appointment,...