Results 10,261-10,280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Services for People with Disabilities: Services for People with Disabilities (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department is committed to delivering quality services that meet the needs of customers. The Department's Customer Charter reinforces the commitment to provide equality of access to services to all customers, including those with a disability. My Department accepts calls through Eircom's National Relay Service. This service allows for the receipt and translation of text messages into voice...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Second Stage (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to have this opportunity in the Seanad to debate the Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill. I believe there will be substantial support for its general purpose and main aim, which is to give effect to a key recommendation of the task force on student behaviour, namely, that section 29 of the Education Act 1998 should be revisited with a view to amending it to stress the...

Seanad: Education (Miscellaneous Provisions) Bill 2007: Second Stage (20 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Ba mhaith liom mo bhuíochas a ghabháil leis na Seanadóirí a ghlac páirt sa díospóireacht seo agus a thug tacaíocht don Bhille. A number of issues were raised that were of interest. Shortly after I was appointed discipline in schools was one of the first issues to be raised by the unions and I undertook to set up a task force on behaviour to examine the matter. There is not a crisis...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A specific function of the National Council for Special Education, through its network of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs, is to identify appropriate educational placements for all children with special educational needs. The SENO is a focal point of contact for parents and schools. My officials have liaised with the NCSE in the context of the child in question. The NCSE...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The National Council for Special Education, NCSE, has taken over responsibility for processing resource applications for children with special educational needs since 1 January 2005. The council has a key role in the delivery of services for persons with special educational needs and operates through a network of special educational needs organisers, SENOs. I have been informed that the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Tenders were originally received for the project in 2004. However, due to delays acquiring the site under the redress scheme it was not possible to accept a tender at this time. Contracts for the transfer of the site have been signed and the consent of the Commissioners for Charitable Donations and Bequests has been received. However, there are a few minor legal issues that the Chief State...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 281 and 299 together. I am pleased to advise that my Department recently sanctioned home tuition for the child in question and a letter to this effect has issued to the family.

Written Answers — Third Level Education: Third Level Education (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The responsibility for managing access to third level places rests with the Central Applications Office, CAO, and the third level institutions generally. The higher education institutions have delegated to the CAO the task of processing applications to their first year undergraduate courses. However, the participating institutions retain the function of making decisions on admissions. The...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers made an application under the summer works scheme 2007 for provision of a hardcourt play area. On 8 January last, I announced details of the schools to receive funding to improve facilities under that scheme. Under the published prioritisation criteria governing the scheme, external environment projects fall into category ten. However, due to the volume...

Written Answers — School Health and Safety: School Health and Safety (21 Mar 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 put appropriate safeguards in place. Provision is built into the school building programme to enable schools address...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Home tuition has not been withdrawn from the four children to whom he refers. The home tuition scheme provides funding to parents to facilitate the provision of education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school. The scheme was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement...

Written Answers — Pre-School Services: Pre-School Services (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Besides junior classes in primary schools, my Department's main role in the area of early years education encompasses targeted preschool provision for children from disadvantaged areas, for Traveller children and for those with special needs. The Early Start preschool pilot project provides places in 40 primary schools in designated areas of urban disadvantage in Dublin, Cork, Limerick,...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It is the Department's intention to construct a new 24 classroom primary school to cater for the long term needs of the area to which the Deputy refers. The acquisition of a site for this purpose is being actively pursued. As the Deputy will appreciate, due to the commercial sensitivities attaching to site acquisition, I am unable to comment on the specifics of individual sites.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The area to which the Deputy refers is the subject of a Strategic Development Zone (SDZ). The planning scheme for the SDZ, which is endorsed by An Bord Pleanála, requires that housing and supporting infrastructure, including schools, be provided in a phased manner. It is a condition of the SDZ that at completion of phase 2 (maximum of 1,800 housing units) a primary school of 8 classrooms...

Written Answers — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: For reasons of confidentiality it would not be appropriate for me to disclose the conditions laid down by my Department for the continued recognition of the college in question.

Written Answers — Student Support Schemes: Student Support Schemes (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Teacher education programmes, provided in approved third level institutions, are recognised for the purposes of the Higher Education Grants Scheme. Under the terms of the Scheme, grant holders who are required to participate in off-campus placement, including teaching practice, as part of their course of study continue to receive their entitlements during this period. My Department funds four...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The review of the one teacher schools is ongoing. The Deputy will be aware that, as an exceptional matter, I approved the appointment, or retention where appropriate, of a mainstream teacher in addition to the Principal for the current school year in the schools which had projected that the appropriate number of pupils required (12) for such appointment or retention would be achieved at end...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers applied for capital funding under the Department's Small Schools Scheme (SSS) for 2007. The school's application was unsuccessful due to competing priorities under the prioritisation criteria for the scheme. However, the school has appealed this outcome. It will be notified of the result of its appeal as soon as possible. In the...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can assure the Deputy that every effort is made to process all claims for payment as speedily as possible. While there may have been delays in respect of some such payments, my officials are not aware of a general problem in relation to the payment of home tuition claims for the period in question. If the Deputy is aware of a particular case and wishes to provide the relevant details, my...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (21 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) which is operational since 2005 has taken over responsibility for processing resource applications for children with special educational needs, including children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. The NCSE, with its national network of over 80 Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs), is providing a structure...