Results 12,261-12,280 of 20,682 for speaker:Mary Hanafin

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I propose to take Questions Nos. 147 and 148 together. As the Deputy will be aware, all applications for large scale capital funding are assessed against published prioritisation criteria and assigned a Band rating. Progress on individual projects is then considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation Programme consistent with the assigned Band rating. This...

Written Answers — Departmental Staff: Departmental Staff (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As the Deputy will be aware, the Programme for Government includes a commitment to establish a Developing Areas Unit in my Department, dedicated solely to progressing school planning in rapidly developing areas, building on improvements that have already been made in recent years. I should point out that my Department's School Planning Section has been organised on a geographical basis for...

Written Answers — School Enrolments: School Enrolments (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Enrolment in individual schools is the responsibility of the managerial authority of those schools and my Department does not seek to intervene in decisions made by schools in such matters. Schools are not required to inform my Department when changes to enrolment procedures occur. However, under section 15 (2) (d) of the Education Act 1998, each school is legally obliged to publish its...

Written Answers — Home Tuition: Home Tuition (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I am informed that the Board of Management of the school is expediting the recruitment process to fill the current teacher vacancies with a view to re-opening the school as soon as possible. In the interim, my Department has sanctioned 20 hours home tuition per week for the pupil referred to by the Deputy and the pupil's parents have been notified accordingly.

Written Answers — Schools Refurbishment: Schools Refurbishment (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The school referred to by the Deputy applied under the Summer Works Scheme 2007 for the provision of a drop off area and staff car parking facilities. Within the budget available, it was not possible to allocate funding to all proposed projects. The Department considered further the application following an appeal from the school authority however the original decision was confirmed.

Written Answers — Special Educational Needs: Special Educational Needs (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The Deputy will be aware that the role of the National Council for Special Education (NCSE), through its network of local Special Education Needs Organisers (SENOs), includes identifying appropriate educational placements for children with special educational needs. I understand that the relevant SENO is currently liaising with the family concerned to identify a placement for their child....

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: For the purposes of post-primary education provision, the country is divided into catchment areas, each of which has its own post-primary education centre. The catchment boundaries were determined following consultation with local educational interests and the intention was that certain primary schools would feed exclusively into each centre. My Department provides accommodation to meet the...

Written Answers — Schools Building Projects: Schools Building Projects (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: An application for capital funding towards the provision of an extension for the school to which the Deputy refers has been assessed and the long-term projected staffing on which the school's future accommodation needs has been determined and notified to the school authority. The building project required is being considered in the context of the multi-annual School Building and Modernisation...

Written Answers — Higher Education Grants: Higher Education Grants (15 Nov 2007)

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

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has agreed to dispose of a small portion of its land to South Dublin County Council to facilitate a new access road. The agreement is subject to a number of conditions including the reinstatement of the field. While improved access has now been provided, my Department has been advised that some works still remain outstanding and in this regard the matter has been raised with...

Written Answers — Departmental Properties: Departmental Properties (15 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: My Department has received a request to dispose of some lands in the area referred to by the Deputy. This land is not for sale at the present time.

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: No, that would be professionally inappropriate.

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Professional psychologists should not discuss a child with a third party.

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I wish to share time with the Minister of State at the Departments of Education and Science and Health and Children, Deputy Devins, who has special responsibility for disability and mental health issues.

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I move amendment No. 1: To delete all words after "Dáil Éireann" and substitute the following: "notes: all schools have access to psychological assessments for their students, either directly through the National Educational Psychological Service or through the Scheme for Commissioning Private Assessments; the number of NEPS psychologists has trebled since the service was established to 134...

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: The procedures for accessing extra support have also been improved with the establishment of the National Council for Special Education and its team of local special educational needs organisers, SENOs. Through this service, parents and teachers have, for the first time, local personnel to help them obtain the appropriate support for their children. All of these improvements have been made...

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: As I stated, the NEPS has recently issued a set of guidelines and resource packs for all schools outlining exactly the nature of the graduation model. The full, thorough psycho-educational assessment is only necessary for the small number of pupils for whom assessment and intervention within the school has not worked and for those who have clear and significant special educational needs on...

Psychological Service: Motion (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: I will come to that. The Government is committed to increasing the number of NEPS psychologists to 200 by 2009. As part of this expansion, funding was made available earlier this year for 31 extra psychologists to be appointed to NEPS in 2007. In April 2007, there were 128 educational psychologists, including four that have been assigned to the dedicated national behavioural support...

Written Answers — Site Acquisitions: Site Acquisitions (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: Agreement was reached between the trustees of the three existing post primary schools in Skibbereen to amalgamate into a single school. The Property Management Section of the Office of Public Works (OPW) was requested to source a suitable site to facilitate this amalgamation. To date, however, the sourcing of a green field site has proved very difficult. Following advertisement a number of...

Written Answers — School Accommodation: School Accommodation (20 Nov 2007)

Mary Hanafin: It is the policy of my Department to provide all new schools with access for all facilities and special toilets for disabled teachers and students. In addition, new schools with two or more storeys are provided with lifts. My Department advises school authorities and their design teams of accessibility requirements during the architectural planning process of projects. In relation to existing...