Results 1,261-1,280 of 4,869 for speaker:Seán Haughey

Seanad: Schools Building Projects (25 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: The Department has been contacted by the school authorities regarding the projected long-term needs and is awaiting submission of a detailed proposal from the school and its patron in this regard. Once we have that detailed proposal the project can be advanced further.

Seanad: School Staffing (25 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: I am taking this matter on behalf of my colleague, the Minister for Education and Science, Deputy Batt O'Keeffe. I thank the Senators for raising it. The mainstream staffing of a primary school, including Aphort national school, is determined by reference to the enrolment of the school on 30 September of the previous school year. The number of mainstream posts sanctioned is determined by...

Industrial Development Bill 2008 [Seanad]: Second Stage (26 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: He would not dare.

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (26 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: The cost of school transport, a service delivered by Bus Éireann on behalf of my Department, have been increasing arising from a range of issues such as: ensuring a comfortable and safe transport service for over 135,000 children daily travelling to and from school (breakdown by county not readily available), measures to ensure the highest standards including the phasing out of the 3 for 2...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (26 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: In the region of 75,000 post primary pupils avail of school transport services nationally. My Department will arrange to provide the Deputy with a breakdown of this figure on a County by County basis. The split between junior and senior cycle pupils is not readily available.

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (31 Mar 2009)

Seán Haughey: The overall 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 was not possible to increase the number of places this year. Any possible future increase would have to take...

Skill Shortages. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: As a leading knowledge economy, Ireland has a significant demand for the key skills of engineering, mathematics and information technology. In the competitive labour market over recent years supply side constraints and strong demand did create some difficulty at times for individual companies in recruiting suitable personnel. The recent expert group on future skills need report — Future...

Skill Shortages. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The problem was identified over the past number of years and that is the reason we commissioned the expert group on future skills needs to examine the area. The group came forward with a report on future requirements for high-level skills in the ICT sector. Currently we have an upskilling co-ordination group and an interdepartmental committee, which I chair, working to bring about...

Skill Shortages. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The overall view emerging with regard to the position on bonus points for higher level maths is that the introduction of bonus points is unlikely to dramatically increase uptake of higher level maths. A report from the points commission on this matter in 1999 came out against this recommendation on the basis that it would lead to a narrowing of the range of subjects taken by students and...

Skill Shortages. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The 1999 report suggested it would also give rise to equity issues where the subject was not available and that this would lead to distortions in third level access and provision. The issue has been given serious consideration again in recent months, but the overall view emerging is that we should not do it. It is only one recommendation. I mentioned already the project maths programme is...

Skill Shortages. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: It is a matter of getting agreement following discussion and consultation. I do not agree that the Minister for Education and Science is not in favour of implementing the recommendations of the national skills strategy.

School Transport. (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I welcome this opportunity to outline to the House the Department's position regarding school transport for the children who attend scoil náisiúnta An Trianlair, County Mayo. One of the main objectives of the school transport scheme is to provide a basic level of service for children who live long distances from schools and who might otherwise experience difficulty in attending regularly....

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I would like to advise the Deputy that negotiations with school bus operators regarding school bus contracts are a matter between Bus Éireann, which operates the school transport service on behalf of my Department, and the operators. There are currently over 1,400 operators, including taxi operators, providing services and the daily rates depend on the size of vehicle and mileage involved...

Written Answers — Post-Leaving Certificate Courses: Post-Leaving Certificate Courses (1 Apr 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 or higher education. In relation to the issue raised in the letter...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The post primary school to which the Deputy refers was among a number of schools that was 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 (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools), the Action Plan for Educational Inclusion. The next identification process is scheduled to be...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (1 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I propose to take questions 180 and 181 together. The Steering Committee to oversee the Value for Money Review of the School Transport Scheme, including catchment boundaries, has been established. The aim is to complete the review by the end of 2009. The Steering Committee is looking at the original objectives of the scheme, whether these objectives remain valid today, the extent to which...

Written Answers — School Transport: School Transport (2 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: I wish to advise the Deputy that charges will continue to be waived in the case of eligible post-primary children where the family is in possession of a valid medical card. In addition, and in order to minimise the impact of the new charges, a maximum family payment of €650 will apply and, parents will be offered the option to spread the amount due over two payments payable in July and...

Written Answers — Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme: Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme (7 Apr 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 — School Transport: School Transport (7 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: The case referred to by the Deputy in the details supplied relates to catchment boundary transport. Under the terms of my Department's Post Primary School Transport Scheme, pupils who are eligible for transport to the education centre in the catchment area in which they reside may avail of 'catchment boundary' transport to a post-primary centre in another catchment area provided spare seats...

Written Answers — Disadvantaged Status: Disadvantaged Status (7 Apr 2009)

Seán Haughey: DEIS (Delivering Equality of Opportunity in Schools) the action plan for educational inclusion, provides for a standardised system for identifying levels of disadvantage and a new integrated School Support Programme (SSP). DEIS brings together and builds upon a number of existing interventions in schools with concentrated levels of disadvantage. The process of identifying schools for...