Results 12,161-12,180 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: In relation to SSIA income, I want to assure the Deputy that the Government is determined to ensure that SSIA savers are treated fairly in the calculation of reckonable income under my Department's maintenance grant schemes. This is being achieved in two ways: firstly, income from SSIAs is being treated exactly the same as income from similar savings and investment products; and secondly, the...

Written Answers — Access to Third Level Education: Access to Third Level Education (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am aware of recent public comment in relation to the operation of the CAO system. In my view, the CAO system has been a long standing success of the Irish education system. In addition to its core task to serve as a clearing house for the institutions in the allocation of higher education places to applicants, the CAO has, since its creation, earned a well deserved reputation for integrity...

Written Answers — State Examinations: State Examinations (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Entry fees for the 2008 Junior Certificate Examination have not yet been determined. I expect that a decision will be taken very shortly with a view to announcing the new fee levels before the end of the current school term. The standard Junior Certificate examination fee that applied for the years 2002 to 2007 are set out in the following table: Year Fees â'¬ 2002: 69 2003: 72...

Written Answers — Teachers' Remuneration: Teachers' Remuneration (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Based on a constant average annual salary of €60,000 over a forty year teaching career, the cumulative gross salary of a teacher would amount to €2.400 million in today's money. The gross superannuation costs calculated on this same salary on a constant basis over a subsequent 25 year retirement period would amount to €0.840 million inclusive of €90,000 in respect of retirement...

Written Answers — Second Level Charges: Second Level Charges (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It is a fundamental principle of the Free Second Level Education Scheme that no charge be made in respect of:— (a)instruction in any subject of my Department's Programme for Secondary Schools; (b)recreation or study facilities where all pupils are expected to avail themselves of them as part of the school programme. (c)any other activity in which all pupils are required to take part....

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I assume that the Deputy is referring to my reply to the house of 2 October 2007 in which I stated that, while continuing to give reasonable support to existing fee charging second level schools, I do not intend to provide state funding for any new fee charging second level schools. I can clarify for the Deputy that my statement related to any proposal that might come before my Department...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The information sought by the Deputy is not readily available in my Department. However, if the Deputy wishes to request details on a specific school, my officials will provide the required information. The demand for additional accommodation in schools has risen significantly over the last number of years mainly due to the rapid expansion in teacher numbers particularly in the area of...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The project to which the Deputy refers is a completely new school planned for the Fingal area. As the Deputy will be aware, the Department been working for some time with Fingal County Council on the acquisition of sites to enable new schools to open throughout its area of functionality in the coming years. The ability of the Department to open these schools is contingent on the sites being...

Written Answers — Bullying in Schools: Bullying in Schools (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has issued guidelines to the Management Authorities of second level schools on meeting their obligations under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act to ensure the safety and health of their employees. As in other workplaces, staff in second level schools may be victims of bullying or violentor intimidating behaviour. While it may not be possible to prevent all such...

Written Answers — Driving Tests: Driving Tests (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department does not fund the employment of driving instructors in schools, and there are no plans to provide driving lessons as part of the road safety programmes being implemented in schools. A Road Safety programme for use in Transition Year has been developed by the Road safety Authority in collaboration with my Department, the National Council for Curriculum and Assessment and the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Department been working for some time with Fingal County Council on the acquisition of sites to enable new schools to open throughout its area of functionality in 2008. The ability of the Department to open these schools next September is contingent on the sites being acquired very soon. The Department is encouraged by the Council's recent positive statement in relation to the progress...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides funding to the Irish Research Council for Humanities and Social Sciences, Irish Research Council for Science, Engineering and Technology and the Technological Sector Research programme for individual post graduate research applications. The number of applications, by institution, under the post graduate research schemes operated by these bodies for the years 2004, 2005...

Written Answers — In-service Training: In-service Training (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As part of its work at whole school, customised and Behaviour Support Classroom levels, the National Behaviour Support Service (NBSS) conducts in-school and out of school continuous professional development (CPD) courses which focus on systemic behaviour improvement in schools. To date, in-school CPD has mainly concentrated on upskilling staff in the areas of low level disruption and...

Written Answers — School Staffing: School Staffing (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The mainstream staffing of a primary school is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30th September of the previous school year. The actual number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by reference to a staffing schedule which is issued annually to all primary schools. According to data submitted to the Department by the Board of Management of the school referred...

Written Answers — Institutes of Technology: Institutes of Technology (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Earlier this year the person referred to by the Deputy was asked to provide preliminary advice on the merits of the submission by WIT, having regard to; (i) the national strategy for the development of Irish higher education, (ii) implications for regional development in the South-East in the context of the National Spatial Strategy and (iii) any likely implications for the overall structure...

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department provides for a scheme of grants towards the purchase of equipment for the use of students in second-level schools who have been diagnosed as having serious physical and/or communicative disabilities of a degree which makes ordinary communication through speech and/or writing impossible for them. The purpose of the grant-aid is to provide the students in question with equipment...

Written Answers — Ministerial Staff: Ministerial Staff (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 343 and 344 together. Staff have been appointed to the Office of the Minister for Education and Science in the following posts: 1Special Advisor (Principal Officer Scale) — Ms. Averil Power — current salary €92,429 1Personal Assistant (Higher Executive Officer Scale) — Mr. Carl Gibney — current salary €52,379 1Personal Secretary (Secretarial...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The building project for the School referred to by the Deputy is at an early stage of architectural planning. The School authorities have recently been requested to submit an addendum to the original stage 2 report (developed sketch scheme). When this information is received in my Department it will be evaluated by my Department's technical team. Progression of all building projects will be...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (13 Nov 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 and the Maintenance Grants Scheme for Students attending Post Leaving Certificate Courses. The HEG Scheme is administered...

Written Answers — Ministerial Responsibilities: Ministerial Responsibilities (13 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Minister of State will be responsible for integration policy functions relating to the following: Ensuring that the range of education policies across different areas of the Department and the bodies under its aegis take account of the need to integrate immigrants and their families, in particular in relation to Further development of policy in relation to the deployment of language...