Results 11,901-11,920 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not readily available and would take an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. As the Deputy will be aware, major improvements have been made in staffing at primary level in recent years. There are now 5,000 more primary teachers than there were in 2002. By the 2006/07 school year, we had reduced the average class size in our primary...

Written Answers — Schools Amalgamation: Schools Amalgamation (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department has carried out a technical investigation of existing school buildings to determine their suitability to host an amalgamated school. This investigation has ruled out the use of existing buildings and sites for the purposes of amalgamation. The Parish has offered to make a site available for an amalgamated school and the Department has carried out a technical inspection of...

Written Answers — Early School Leavers: Early School Leavers (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not available in the published CSO volume on Education. The information can only be supplied by the Central Statistics Office.

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy on a county by county basis is not available within my Department and would involve an inordinate amount of administrative time to compile. However, primary and post-primary tables providing a breakdown by outcome of Section 29 appeals taken against schools who refused enrolment over the last 5 years are as follows: Post Primary Stats — Section 29...

Written Answers — Gaeltacht Scholarships: Gaeltacht Scholarships (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I understand the Deputy's question relates to An Scéim Scoláireachtaí Gaeilge Tríú Leibhéal: Teoranta, under which my Department awards annually, on a competitive basis, twenty scholarships to students who have, among other things, attended an all-Irish second-level school and reached a certain minimum standard in the Leaving Certificate. These scholarships are only tenable in respect...

Written Answers — Pre-School Services: Pre-School Services (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware of my commitment to ensuring that all children, including those with autism, receive an education appropriate to their needs. The number of early intervention classes for children with autism funded by my Department is increasing. Funding is also provided through the home tuition programme for children with autism aged from 2 1⁄2 years to 5 who are not enrolled in...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Discussions are on-going with the local authority in relation to a site for a permanent home for the school to which the Deputy refers. In the meantime arrangements are being made to ensure that the school will be adequately accommodated in temporary accommodation until such a time as a site has been acquired and a permanent building provided.

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A Road Safety programme for use in Transition Year has been developed and is currently being piloted in schools. The programme provides a structured approach towards the development of responsible attitudes towards road safety and driver education and builds on the knowledge gained from current Social Personal and Health Education programmes (SPHE). Covering areas such as seatbelt use, hazard...

Written Answers — Education Welfare Service: Education Welfare Service (25 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Education (Welfare) Act, 2000 established the National Educational Welfare Board (NEWB) as the single national 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...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school to which the Deputy refers has applied to the Department for large scale capital funding. The application has been assessed in accordance with the published prioritisation criteria for large scale building projects and has been assigned a band 2 rating. Progress on the project is being considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation programme.

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Two Montessori qualifications are recognised for restricted recognition by my Department, namely the AMI (Association Montessori Internationale) qualification, which has been recognised for teaching in special education settings since 1963, and the B.A. in humanities in Montessori Education from St. Nicholas Montessori College, Dún Laoghaire, which has been recognised since 1997, and is...

Written Answers — Physical Education Facilities: Physical Education Facilities (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy has applied for funding for these works under the Summer Works Scheme 2008. The closing date for the Summer Works Scheme 2008 was 28th September 2007. Decisions on the Scheme will be made later in the year.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department intends making additional primary school accommodation available in Mullingar commencing in 2008. The ability of the Department to make this provision, however, is contingent on lands reserved for educational provision being acquired very soon. To achieve this, the Department is currently engaging with the Local Authority. Subsequent provision will be delivered commensurate...

Written Answers — Health and Safety Issues: Health and Safety Issues (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The provision of defibrillators in schools would not address the specific health issue unless accompanied by complementary training. Such training cannot be confined to the operation and use of defibrillators but must also involve training in other related life saving techniques. The provision of such training necessitates the involvement of health personnel and that is beyond the remit of my...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of the expansion of the Permanent Accommodation Scheme, a grant of €240,000 was sanctioned to enable the management authority of the school in question to provide additional accommodation. The scheme allows Boards of Management to address their accommodation and building priorities with a guaranteed amount of funding and gives them control of their building project. This school has...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: While the school to which the Deputy refers has applied to the Department for capital funding for ancillary accommodation, it has not applied for extra classroom accommodation. It is open to the school to revise its application in this regard. There is no doubt that additional post primary places will be needed in the coming years in the area concerned and the Department is already taking...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the National Council for Special Education is responsible, through its network of local Special Educational Needs Organisers, for the establishment of special classes for autism and for allocating resource teachers and special needs assistants to schools to support children with special needs. In excess of 270 autism-specific classes at primary and post primary...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy is aware the general allocation model was introduced in May 2005 and became operational in schools from September 2005. The general allocation is intended to cater for pupils with higher incidence special educational needs, that is, pupils with borderline mild and mild general learning disability and specific learning disability. The allocation is also intended to support those...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 416 and 417 together. There are currently 2,449 Special Needs Assistants (whole time equivalents) employed in schools in Dublin. The break-down by sector is as follows:— Primary 2,020 Post-primary (including VECs) 429 It is not possible to give a breakdown of the SNA numbers employed in specific geographical areas of Dublin.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (31 Oct 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy is not retained by my Department. The Deputy may also be aware that the National Council for Special Education (NCSE) has been operational since 1st January 2005, and is responsible for processing applications for special educational needs supports from primary and post primary schools through its network of Special Educational Needs Organisers (SENOs)....