Results 1,161-1,180 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (24 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the statutory body with responsibility for school attendance. The Act provides a comprehensive framework promoting regular school attendance and tackling the problems of absenteeism and early school leaving. The general functions of the Board are to ensure that each child attends a recognised...

Seanad: School Staffing (24 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this matter on behalf of the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe, and I thank the Senator for raising it. The 2009 budget required difficult choices to be made across all areas of public expenditure. These decisions were made to control public expenditure and to ensure sustainability in the long run. In this respect, education, while protected to a much...

Seanad: School Staffing (24 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: It is open to the school to make an appeal. However, it would be unwise for me to give any further advice in regard to such an appeal at this stage.

Seanad: Garda Deployment (24 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: I propose to use the time allocated to give the background to this issue. I am taking this Adjournment debate on behalf of the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform. The Minister has been informed by the Garda Commissioner that as of 31 January 2009, the personnel strength of the Donegal division was 485. The divisional strength is augmented by the resources available to regional...

Seanad: Garda Deployment (24 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: It is the responsibility of the Garda Commissioner to allocate personnel throughout the force, taking everything into account, and the situation in the Donegal division will be kept under review. I will bring the Senator's remarks to the attention of the Minister.

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The number of approved PLC places is set at its current level of 30,188 because there is a continuing requirement to plan and control numbers and to manage expenditure within the context of overall educational policy and provision. Due to the difficult budgetary position it is not possible to increase the number of places. Any possible future increase would have to take account of the...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The number of places available under the Post Leaving Certificate programme currently stands at 30,188. For the current academic year 2008/2009, 28,066 of these places were allocated to Vocational Education Committees (VECs). Further distribution of those places internally is a matter for each individual VEC. The balance of places were allocated to a number of secondary and community and...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Post Leaving Certificate (PLC) programme provides an integrated general education, vocational training and work experience programme for young people who have completed their Leaving Certificate and adults returning to education. Its purpose is to enhance their prospects of gaining employment or progressing to Further Education. The number of places available nationwide under the PLC...

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (VTOS) provides full-time second-chance education and training opportunities for unemployed adults who are over the age of 21 and in receipt of specified social welfare payments for at least six months. VTOS is funded by my Department and operated through the 33 Vocational Education Committees (VECs). Its primary target groups are the longer-term...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: There are currently approximately 30 students pursuing the two-year Level 8 BA in Animation degree programme validated by Dundee University in Ballyfermot College of Further Education. Ballyfermot College is an approved PLC centre. My Department funds four maintenance grant schemes. Three are at third level: the Higher Education Grants (HEG) Scheme, the Vocational Education Committees'...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (25 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: Under the terms of the Primary School Transport Scheme, pupils are eligible for free school transport if they reside 3.2 kilometres or more from and are attending their nearest national school. Pupils who reside less than 3.2 kilometres from their nearest national school may avail of fare-paying concessionary transport to that school, provided there are spare seats available on the bus....

Adult Literacy. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The target set is for achievement by the year 2016 and progress will have to be judged in that time frame. The Government's commitment to achieving the target is evident from the increased investment in this area. Annual funding for adult literacy has increased from €1 million in 1997 to over €30 million in 2008. In the same period the annual number of participants has increased from...

Adult Literacy. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: I would like to think we have made significant progress in this area.

Adult Literacy. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: Deputy Burke spoke about funding. As I said earlier, funding in this area has increased from €1 million in 1997 to more than €30 million in 2008. The number of places has also increased significantly since 1997. I accept that we need new data. We are participating in the OECD survey to establish new data in this area. It should be pointed out that the survey that established that...

Adult Literacy. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Deputy will be aware that I administer a number of adult and further education schemes, including Youthreach, the back to education initiative and the adult literacy schemes. This country's serious and difficult financial position has meant that I have had to reduce the number of places being offered on some schemes, unfortunately, including Traveller training schemes and the back to...

Adult Education. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am aware of the stipulation that has been imposed on the college referred to in the question. The Deputy will be aware that the national reduction in apprentice recruitment has necessitated a reduction in the current level of training provision. The problem is particularly acute in the construction trades, which have suffered a reduction in recruitment of almost 70% in the past two years....

Adult Education. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: As I said earlier, we have to examine the overall context in the first instance. A cap has been imposed on the number of places in the post-leaving certificate sector as a result of the current financial position and in line with the increase in the pupil-teacher ratio. I accept that the Deputy has made a constructive proposal. Officials in the Department of Education and Science have met...

Adult Education. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: There are seven phases involved in the training of apprentices.

Adult Education. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The fourth and sixth phases are provided for in the education sector. The Tánaiste has made a number of announcements because of the difficult situation facing apprentices due to the current unemployment situation. The overall point made by the Deputy is being given serious consideration at this stage, which is the need for employment activation. My role is to co-ordinate education and...

Disadvantaged Status. (26 Feb 2009)

Seán Haughey: The schools to which the Deputy refers are among those that were judged by an independent identification process in 2005 not to have a sufficient level of disadvantage among their pupils to warrant their inclusion in DEIS, the action plan for educational inclusion. The next identification process is scheduled to be held at the end of the current DEIS programme, which runs from 2005 to 2010....