Results 11,981-12,000 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The age and gender profile of new teachers in Secondary and Community/ Comprehensive schools appointed to a PWT contract for the 2007/08 school year is as follows:— Male Female 20-23 yrs 9 7 24-27 yrs 37 80 28-31 yrs 60 133 Age 32 yrs 14 19 The information regarding the age and gender profile of teachers...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The cumulative number of CID contracts held by teachers paid by my Department in recognised posts in Secondary and Community/Comprehensive schools in the 2005/ 2006, 2006/2007 and the 2007/ 2008 school years is outlined in the attached table. The information regarding the number of CID contracts held by teachers employed by Vocational Education Committees is available from the individual...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (1 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information requested by the Deputy in relation to secondary and community comprehensive schools is being compiled and I will arrange for it to be forwarded to him. The information regarding the number of teachers employed by Vocational Education Committees and their hours is available from the individual Committees.

Written Answers — School Absenteeism: School Absenteeism (6 Nov 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 — Schools Recognition: Schools Recognition (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by Deputy opened with provisional recognition from the Department in September 2006. Newly established schools are generally required to undergo a period of provisional recognition, during which the operation of the school and the growth of pupil numbers are monitored.

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW), which acts on behalf of my Department in relation to site acquisitions generally, has been requested to source a site for this school. A number of sites have been identified and are being assessed by the OPW. Once a suitable site has been identified, its acquisition will be considered in the context of the School Building...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 340 to 343, inclusive, and Questions Nos. 360 to 362, inclusive, together. I am pleased to inform the Deputy that I am given to understand that the Tuam Diocesan Panel is now clear and all schools in the Diocese are free to fill their permanent vacancies.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy may be aware, 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). The SENO is also a focal point of contact for parents and schools and their...

Written Answers — School Services Staff: School Services Staff (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding towards the cost of secretarial and caretaking services in primary schools under two separate schemes. One scheme is the 1978/79 scheme for the employment of full-time secretaries and caretakers in primary schools, under which my Department meets the full cost of salary. This scheme is being phased out as posts become vacant and no new posts are being created....

Written Answers — Educational Disadvantage: Educational Disadvantage (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: A grant scheme for schoolbooks for needy pupils in post-primary schools has operated since the introduction of the scheme for the provision of free post-primary education in the 1967/68 school year. The purpose of the scheme is to provide aid towards the cost of schoolbooks. A needy pupil, for the purpose of the scheme, is defined as a pupil from a family in which genuine hardship exists....

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 348 and 350 together. As the Deputy will be aware, all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA), full details of which are available on my Department's website. Schools that do...

Written Answers — Psychological Service: Psychological Service (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that all primary and post primary schools have access to psychological assessments either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service (NEPS) or through the Scheme for Commissioning Psychological Assessments (SCPA). Schools that do not currently have NEPS psychologists assigned to them may avail of the SCPA and have an assessment carried out by a...

Written Answers — School Textbooks: School Textbooks (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Apart from a small number of prescribed texts at second-level, mainly in the case of language subjects, decisions on which textbooks to use in first and second-level schools are taken at school level. Syllabus planners are conscious of the need to avoid over-frequent changes to textbooks, primarily in order to minimise increases in the cost burden for parents. However, textbooks have to be...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy is aware that the home tuition scheme which provides funding to parents to provide education at home for children who, for a number of reasons such as chronic illness, are unable to attend school was extended in recent years to facilitate tuition for children awaiting a suitable educational placement and also to provide early educational intervention for pre-school children with...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In addition to the Maintenance Grant Schemes, funding is also available to students from the Millennium Partnership Fund. The Fund supports retention and participation among under-represented groups of students in further and higher education and is available to students in area partnerships and community groups which participate in the Local Development Social Inclusion Programme (LDSIP)....

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Acquisition of a site for primary school provision in Tyrrellstown is advancing well. The site is such that it should provide accommodation for up to two 24 classroom schools, each of which would have a 3 stream junior infant intake. This equates to a pupil intake of 162 junior infants per year. The Department will be discussing the configuration and size of the schools with the two patron...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The New School Advisory Committee (NSAC) has received formal notification from Educate Together of an intention to apply for the recognition of a new primary school for September, 2008 in the location referred to by the Deputy. The NSAC is an independent advisory group established to process applications for the recognition of new primary schools and to make recommendations to the Minister...

Written Answers — Schools Funding: Schools Funding (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The funding arrangements made by my Department for second level schools reflect the sectoral division of our second level system. At the core of all arrangements is a reliance upon capitation as the principle determinant of funding. My Department provides funding to secondary schools by way of per capita grants, which affords schools considerable flexibility in the use of these resources to...

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I presume the Deputy is referring to the school's application for funding under the Summer Works Scheme 2008. The closing date for the Summer Works Scheme 2008 was 28 September 2007. Decisions on the Scheme will be made later in the year.

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (6 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The tender documentation for the project referred to by the Deputy is almost complete. Progression of all projects to tender and construction will be considered in the context of my Department's Multi-Annual School Building and Modernisation Programme.