Results 10,541-10,560 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding in excess of €34m for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. As...

Written Answers — Teaching Qualifications: Teaching Qualifications (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am anxious for schools to appoint the most suitable people to language support posts and am determined to ensure that language support teachers have access to the right assessment tools to help them to establish the abilities and needs of individual students. In order to ensure that schools can accurately and objectively assess the language requirement of children, my Department will be...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has been in contact with the school authorities in relation to this matter. An application from the school for funding to provide toilet facilities under the Emergency Works Grant is awaited.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the school referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. A meeting was recently convened with Officials from my Department, the Board of Management and the Design Team in order to evaluate the Stage 2 submission. At the meeting, the project was approved to proceed to Stage 3 (Developed Sketch Scheme) of Architectural Planning. Officials...

Written Answers — Higher Education: Higher Education (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes for third level and further education students. These are the Higher Education Grants (HEG) Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees' (VEC) Scholarships Scheme, the Third Level Maintenance Grants Scheme for Trainees (TLT) and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses (PLC). The decision on...

Written Answers — Computerisation Programme: Computerisation Programme (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Development Plan 2007-2013 provides for investment of €252m in the ICT in Schools Programme and I will be publishing a comprehensive new strategy for ICT in Schools covering the period to 2013. The new strategy will aim to develop an e-Learning culture in our schools that will ensure that ICT usage is embedded in teaching and learning across the...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is provided in the following table: Language Support Posts in Primary Schools in Donegal School Year Number of Posts 2002/03 Nil 2003/04 3 2004/05 5 2005/06 7 2006/07 15

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to advise the Deputy that the information sought in respect of the number of newly appointed resource teachers in each of the past five years in schools in County Donegal is not readily available in my Department. As the Deputy is aware, there has been enormous progress made over the past number of years in relation to increasing the number of teachers in our schools who are...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: There are currently 264 Special Need Assistants (whole-time equivalents) employed in primary schools in County Donegal. As the Deputy is aware, there are over three thousand two hundred primary schools in the country. The compilation of information regarding the number of SNAs appointed to individual schools would require an inordinate amount of administrative time in my Department.

Written Answers — Pupil-Teacher Ratio: Pupil-Teacher Ratio (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Information in relation to class sizes is provided in the annual census of primary schools. The details for the current school year (2006/2007) are currently being compiled by my Department and the information requested is not readily available. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. At the beginning of the current school...

Written Answers — Ministerial Appointments: Ministerial Appointments (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy can be assured that in appointing persons to State boards, State bodies or other like entities I will follow the guidelines set out in the Cabinet Handbook regarding eligibility, transparency and gender balance.

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that the school to which he refers has applied to the Department for additional accommodation. The Long term Projected Staffing has recently been re-examined in light of the projected demographics of the area and has been increased to a Principal plus 12 Mainstream Teachers from a Principal plus 8 mainstream teachers. Progress on the proposed project for the...

Written Answers — Sexual Offences: Sexual Offences (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Our current system of school management has served us well. It means that communities have a strong role in how schools are run and that Patrons can ensure that their ethos is promoted in their schools. I know that such a locally-based system places a lot of responsibility on voluntary members of boards and I am anxious to ensure that members of boards are provided with the training and...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I can confirm to the Deputy that an application has been received for a sports hall from the school to which he refers. This application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a band 4 rating. Progress on the proposed works is being considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (28 Mar 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. 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 (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am pleased to inform the Deputy that my Department recently issued a letter to the school in question authorising the Board of Management in conjunction with its Design Team to proceed to Stage 4/5 (Detailed Design/Bill of Quantities) and on to tender stage.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (28 Mar 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. When this matter has been finalised, progress on the proposed project can be considered under the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.

Written Answers — Sport and Recreational Development: Sport and Recreational Development (28 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has provided funding in excess of €34m for the construction of nine dual use halls with enhanced facilities, attached to post-primary schools. Eight of the halls, including the hall referred to by the Deputy, are in Dublin and one is in Cork. The halls in question have been built as part of a joint programme to develop community sports facilities in drugs task force areas. As...

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 218 and 219 together. The role of the Educational Disadvantage Committee is to advise on policies and strategies to be adopted to identify and correct educational disadvantage. My Department wrote to the education and social partners seeking their views on the composition and future work of the committee. Following on full consideration of these views, the...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (29 Mar 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment decisions are the responsibility of the Board of Management of each individual school. My Department has no role in relation to processing applications for enrolment by schools. 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 refuses enrolment to a student. Where a school...